Aftermath
by Super Chocolate Bear
Summary: Breen is dead, City 17 is in ruins, the Citadel is collapsing, but the Combine is still powerful, and determined to survive. Then a scientist is found in the wreckage, and once again, everything changes.
1. Undue Alarm

Disclaimer: I don't own _Half-Life._

_**Aftermath**_

_**Chapter One: Undue Alarm**_

The darkness surrounded him. Consumed him.

Seconds passed.

Then…

Rubble flew past him, swirling in a vortex in front of him. Dr Breen's face, captured on a monitor.

"_Tell me Doctor Freeman, if you can; you have destroyed so much. What is it exactly that you have created? Can you name even one thing? I thought not."_

Gordon tried to move, found he could.

What the hell was going on?

The spiralling rubble disappeared into the void, swallowed up in the blink of an eye. Colours swirled into being around him. He saw the Citadel, stark and cold against the warm early morning sky. Everything blurred, like some expressive painting by… some… expressive painter. Gordon never was into art.

He floated up to the top, like a dream. And then, suddenly, he was standing on the balcony, watching the Dark Fusion reactor overload. Alyx was stood by his side. Gordon could move, but slowly, leaden.

The reactor exploded. Light pushed out towards them, and Alyx shielded her eyes. The explosion stopped, as it had before. Before He had appeared. What was this? Just some horrific game, showing him what he had lost?

Then he heard something. A deep groaning. Over and over again, like a chant, in a language he had only heard a few times before.

Blurs of bright purple light cascaded from different points, some in the distance, some closer, beside Alyx. They coalesced into the shape of Vortigaunts unlike any Gordon had seen before. Swirling deep purples and neon pinks covered their bodies. Their hands clasped together as though in prayer, they swung their arms in front of them, over and over again. It reminded Gordon of witches stirring a pot.

Two of them stood on either side of Alyx's frozen form. Their praying motion stopped, and they grasped an arm each. She gasped, forced into life and motion. The explosion remained frozen, and Gordon with it. Panicking, Alyx looked at the two Vortigaunts holding her. Gordon tried to say her name, to attract her attention.

Her eyes abruptly closed, and she collapsed, held up by the spindly arms of the Vortigaunts. Then, without a noise, the Vortigaunts vanished, folding away like a sheet of paper, flattening themselves out of Gordon's field of vision.

With a distant boom, the explosion continued, consuming Gordon in white light. He tried to squint, but still couldn't move fast enough to protect his eyes. Coloured dots peppered his vision as something else appeared in front of him, silhouetted from behind by the blinding light. Footsteps echoed, and the shape took form.

It was Him, walking towards him through one of the white doorways He was so fond of. It slammed shut behind Him with a metallic clang, leaving them in darkness. Gordon could still see Him, though, stood in front of him, only the slightest of smirks taunting him.

He took a raspy breath to speak, when something interrupted Him. A blue light, flashing like lightning. Then on His other side, distracting Him. Gordon could hear Vortigaunts chanting. And then he could see them as he was pulled back, sliding along on some invisible conveyer belt.

Half a dozen Vortigaunts stood in front of Him, their backs to Gordon as he continued to move away. Their clawed hands were out in front of them, projecting spools of luminescent blue energy that blocked Him from moving. A deadly scowl deepening his creased features, He viciously adjusted His tie with both hands.

"We'll see," He growled, "about _that."_

That was when Gordon realised the one thing He lacked; his briefcase.

Was that the source of His power? Was He vulnerable without it? And how could the Vortigaunts take it away? Had they always been capable of this? Why hadn't they done it before now? And they _knew _about Him. All that time they were muttering their backwards riddles, and they _knew?_ Gordon wished that he could move, or even speak. There were so many things he would have liked to do to Him while He was defenceless.

Two more chanting Vortigaunts appeared in Gordon's peripheral vision, standing on either side of him. They put their hands out towards him, bathing him in the same shimmering blue light. Gordon's gaze was locked with His as everything faded to white, all sound disappearing.

Gordon closed his eyes to shield himself from the light. Everything went black.

Opening his eyes, Gordon found himself still surrounded by darkness. Just as his heart sank, suspecting Him of playing some cruel mind game, he noticed something he had never experienced in the void.

A smell.

Several, actually. Most of them burning. And he could see his stats, provided by the HEV suit. A point of light shone down on him from above. He realised he was lying on his back. That was when he noticed a pressure, pushing down on his chest.

Quite a lot of pressure, actually.

In fact, ow. Lots of ow.

"Ow," he coughed, voice hoarse from the dust and smoke that wisped around him. Where was he?

Something moved at the point of light, revealing yet more. A grey, stormy sky grumbled angrily high above. A metal hand swooped in from above, removing more of the darkness. As the light spilled in, Gordon noticed they were rocks. It was rubble.

Gordon grinned. He was buried in rubble! He was alive! Alive and being squashed by rubble, yes, but still… alive was good.

The source of the metal hand quickly made itself known; Dog's misshapen head sprang into view, shoving itself down into the hole and staring right at him. His single red eye narrowed, studying him before widening in excitement. Dog yanked his head back, banging it against an overhead rock.

As Dog shoved more rubble out of the way to get a better look, Gordon heard something that made his heart skip a beat. A gentle voice he had given up any chance of hearing again. A part of him had been mortified that the next time he would see her would be _another _twenty years in the future - just one more person he had let down. And yet, here he was.

And here she was. "He's gotta be here somewhere… any luck over there, Dog?"

Debris mostly cleared, Dog reached into the makeshift pit and grabbed Gordon with both hands, pulling him up with remarkable gentility. He held Gordon up like a trophy, studying him with a happy red gaze.

"Dog, I think I've found something," Alyx said from somewhere off to the right. Dog looked over at her and lowered Gordon to the ground next to her. She continued on, staring at a pile of rocks in front of her. "Drop what you're doing and help me over…"

She looked over, the words dying in her throat. A smile erupted on her face that he couldn't hope to match, but he found himself trying anyway.

"Oh my God. Gordon!"

Suddenly, she was upon him, arms wrapped around his neck in one of the strongest grips he had ever felt. He didn't think even Barnacles matched up. His arms moved up and down awkwardly by his sides, uncertain. Should he hug back? Arms around her waist, or should he put them higher up?

Exasperated, Gordon went with the safe option and put his hands behind his back. Painfully and wonderfully slowly, Alyx pulled back a few steps, arms dropping down. Her clothes were dirtier, and her gloves covered in dirt and powdered rock. Gordon noticed a new scar just above her right eyebrow, small like a scratch.

"I was so worried…" She realised she was staring and quickly averted her gaze, tucking hair behind her ear sheepishly. A small cough of a laugh emerged, and Alyx fished something out of her jacket pocket. "Oh, hey, I found these," she said, moving towards him with whatever they were.

They slipped over his face and rested on his ears. He smiled.

"My glasses," he said contentedly, bringing his hands up to adjust them. Alyx's hands were still on them, however, and there was an awkward moment while their hands touched and their eyes met.

Dog made a noise that was the closest approximation of a robot clearing his throat that Gordon had ever heard. Looking over, Alyx laughed.

"Hey, the Gravity Gun. Give it to him, Dog."

Gordon caught himself staring at Alyx, and blinked, looking over to Dog. The robot held out the Gravity Gun in a massive palm. It didn't look any worse for wear, though it wasn't glowing a brilliant blue anymore. Ah well, orange would have to do. With a smile, Gordon gingerly plucked the Gravity Gun from Dog. In response, he jiggled up and down on the spot, his head nodding wildly.

"There, Gordon," Alyx said, grinning, "Dog's happy to see you. I can tell."

Blowing out a grateful breath, Gordon stroked Dog's head. "I was happy to see him, too."

Alyx gave them a moment before stepping in, bending over to look Dog in the eye. "Okay, Dog. Go get the monitor set up so we can check in with my Dad."

The robot hooted affirmatively and hurtled off towards a high ledge behind Alyx. He vaulted up onto it and thundered off out of sight behind a wall. Gordon took a moment to look around. They were in the bottom floor of a completely destroyed building; the only walls that remained were about the same height as two Dogs standing on top of each other. A fire crackled in the corner, embers flickering off into the open sky. Flakes of ash floated down from the sky like falling snow.

"He must be worried sick about us," Alyx said with a smile. "He was so sure I wouldn't find you here."

Gordon tipped his head to the side in a 'fair enough' gesture. If the situation were reversed, he wouldn't have expected to find him here, either. Except maybe in pieces. A sudden, explosive bang interrupted Alyx's next few words, and they both looked up.

It was the Citadel, still towering up into the clouds, although maybe not _quite _as high anymore. Although now it was an angry, swirling red vortex that swallowed the tower. Lighting flashed periodically at the top, though whether it was actually weather related, Gordon couldn't tell. Judging by the swirl-y, vortex-y thing, he guessed it was probably portal related. He sighed inwardly. He was a scientist. He shouldn't be using terms like 'swirl-y' and 'vortex-y'. That's what spending five days straight fighting and shooting did to you, he supposed. Oh God, had it really been five days?

"The Citadel's really coming apart," Alyx murmured, eyes on the tower. She looked back to him. "I still don't know how we got out of there. The last thing I remember is… Breen falling… huge explosion… and then I heard Vortigaunts. Next thing I knew, Dog was digging me out of the rubble. You?"

Oddly enough, that was pretty much Gordon's story, too, barring one particular detail. It was nice and disconcerting to be able to share these weird experiences with someone.

He nodded. "Same."

Alyx sighed. "It's all so strange... we should-"

_"Alyx, come in!"_

It was Eli, his voice distorted and strained through static.

Alyx whirled around, then back to Gordon, her face alight. "It's my Dad. We've been trying to reach him for hours," she said, backing up to the ledge. She clambered up easily, leaving Gordon down below as she grinned, "Wait till he hears we've found you! Come on!"

Sighing, Gordon brought the Gravity Gun shoulder strap over his head, brushing dust from his hair that made his nose tingle. Alyx laughed and stretched a hand down to him. Smiling, Gordon took it and pulled, trying not to appear too much like the playground nerd that he was as he fumbled for footing.

Eli's voice echoed out from behind Alyx as she managed to tug Gordon up onto the ledge.

_"Alyx, sweetheart, come in!"_

"Thanks," Gordon said quietly, straightening his askew glasses. He followed Alyx to the sizeable monitor that had been set up in the ruins of the building, all manner of equipment, both aged and advanced, hooked up to it. A delicate looking aerial stuck out of the corner of the monitor, and Gordon couldn't help but watch it as it dangled in the wind.

Alyx, meanwhile, pressed buttons and twisted dials while she tried to get a signal. "Dad? Dad, are you there?"

_"Alyx? Alyx, come in!"_

"Hold on a sec, there's so much interference."

Gordon cleared his throat, and Alyx looked at him. "Um… the, uh…" He pointed to the aerial.

"Ah," Alyx noted, before talking over her shoulder to Dog. "Hey, Dog, give me a hand with this." The robot clutched a hand to it, twisting it this way and that as Alyx worked the controls. "Hmm… okay, little to the right… okay, hold it there! We got it."

Eli's worried face filled the screen, stretching and blurring with each rumble of the clouds above.

"Dad-"

_"Alyx, where are you? Please, God, tell me you're out of the city…"_

An awkward look crossed Alyx's face, like she was a teenager confessing to her father. "Well, not quite yet-"

_"What?"_

"But listen, Dad, we've found him!"

_"You found Gordon?" _Eli moved in closer to the screen to get a better look.

Gordon ducked in and gave a little wave. "Uh… hi."

The older scientist just stared at him, his gaze gradually travelling down until he was staring off into space. _"I don't believe it…" _Eli shook it off, and all but glared out at them. "_But listen, you two need to get out of the city! The Citadel could blow at any moment!"_

_"There's no question that it will, I'm afraid," _Dr Kleiner announced, bustling Eli into the background with his customary finger waving about in the air. Gordon couldn't help but smile, but quickly found it fading when Kleiner's words actually sank in._ "Our remote sensors indicate the process is accelerating towards a Dark Energy flare."_

Kleiner addressed them directly, unaware of the panic slowly spreading across Eli in the background.

_"Anyone left in the vicinity will be subjected to energetic events whose effects are beyond my powers of speculation."_

_"Izzy..."_

"_The ravages to cellular material are unimaginable-"_

_"Kleiner!" _Eli cried, whirling the other scientist around to face him._ "Stop!" _His metal leg seemed to give way, and Kleiner stooped to catch him.

"Dad!" Alyx said quickly, reaching a hand out to the screen.

_"Oh, dear…" _Kleiner said sadly, helping Eli back to his feet._ "Eli, I'm sorry. But surely, there's no need for undue alarm. Alyx is well out of harms' way by now."_

Alyx and Gordon exchanged a guilty look before she said, "Well… actually, we're still at the Citadel."

_"What?" _Kleiner turned to face them with a look of doom that made Gordon's heart drop._ "Oh dear, but there's really no time! The core is exceedingly close to collapse! Why, there's no way to get far enough without first…"_ The elderly scientist glanced around, looking regretful of the words that were about to come out of his mouth._ "Well, nothing short of a direct intervention in the core could possibly retard the reaction."_

"_Izzy," _Eli admonished.

A deathly pause followed before Alyx spoke again. "You mean… going in?"

_"Into the core, yes,"_ Kleiner replied quickly._ "But it's far too dangerous to consider! The chamber will be bathed in radiation!"_

Though every instinct in his head cried out for him to be quiet, Gordon put a hand in the air. "I… _do _have a hazard suit."

Turning it over in her head, Alyx nodded. "If we could find our way into the Citadel, it's possible we could-"

_"Alyx, no!" _Eli said definitively, shoving Kleiner out of the way to get access to the monitor.

"But Dad…"

The elder Vance was having none of it, however, and turned to his colleague. _"Izzy, talk some sense into her!"_

_"I'm sorry, Eli,"_ Kleiner said, adjusting his glasses,_ "but I don't see any other way. It… would help us evacuate more citizens…"_

"We can do this, Dad."

Gordon thought of something he could add, but then thought better of it as Eli bowed his head and sighed. The man had been convinced, no need to start throwing doubts and arguments into the mix. Better to ask Alyx about it afterwards.

_"Okay... okay, Alyx, okay. Just promise me... promise me that you won't take a single unnecessary risk."_

"I promise," Alyx all but whispered, putting a hand to the monitor so she was touching Eli's cheek. "I love you."

_"I love you too, baby. And Gordon. You look after my little girl. I'm trusting you to take care of her."_

Solemnly, he nodded.

"_I'll be praying for you."_

"Don't worry," Alyx said confidently and quietly, "We'll see you soon."

The transmission cut out, leaving them alone once more. Alyx stared at the screen sadly, and sighed.

"Yeah…" she muttered, "Don't worry." With a heavy sigh, she rubbed her hands down her face, trying to wake herself up.

"You know," Gordon said slowly, "_I'm _the one with the hazard suit."

Alyx's hands froze, on her mouth, and she looked at him. "Yeah?"

His eyebrows raised, Gordon nodded his head towards her. "As in, uh… me."

Alyx paused, still staring. Dog was doing the same. "…I'm not following."

"So… you don't need to come. You could evacuate. You know. While I do this."

There was another moment where Alyx still didn't seem to catch on, but then she suddenly gasped, pointing a finger at him. "Oh…" She fixed him with an amused look. "Gordon… don't you think you've done enough alone?"

"I did okay at Black Mesa," Gordon mumbled, feeling a little insulted.

"Yeah, but you don't have to anymore." Smiling, Alyx put a hand on his arm. "We're in this together, Gordon."

"Uh…" He swallowed, not quite sure how to take that. "I, uh… thank you."

Alyx just nodded in return before dropping her arm and getting back to business. "Now, let's see if we can find our way into the Citadel from somewhere along the rim."

The rim? Gordon frowned. The rim of what? All he could see from here was debris and collapsed buildings.

The way ahead of them was blocked by the tail end of a gunship, and Alyx 'hmm'ed, considering it for a moment. "Dog, a little help, please?"

Without a noise of response, Dog clamped his hands on the propeller housing and hauled it upwards above his head.

"Thanks," Alyx said, patting his arm as she walked through the gap.

As Gordon followed her, he finally saw what Alyx meant by rim. They were in front of a canyon. When he thought about it, this was probably the same underground canyon he had used to gain access to the Citadel in the first place. Breen's portal device exploding must have levelled the area for miles around. Cautiously peering off the ledge, Gordon saw another ledge running along the cliff-face, going off to the left.

"Okay boy," Alyx said, facing Dog with her back to the canyon, "pack up and meet us on the far side of this ridge."

An affirmative hoot followed, and Dog blithely dropped the gunship propeller with an almighty crash before thundering off.

With a fond smile, Alyx turned on the spot before thrusting her arms out in panic when she saw the canyon. "Whoa. What a drop."

After a long pause, she looked at him. "After you, Gordon," she said sweetly.

"Oh, thanks," he muttered, giving her a tired smile before nonetheless lowering himself down onto the ledge below. It was only a couple of feet, and the ledge itself stretched out quite far. But that didn't stop him swinging his arms around like a cartoon character when he landed and it felt like he was going to topple backwards.

He heard a squeak of a laugh come from above, and he glared up at Alyx over his glasses.

Her eyes closed and biting her lip, Alyx waved a hand around in front of her. "Sorry," she managed, before she easily leapt off and landed in front of him.

Gordon shoved his glasses up his nose with his thumb, and stalked past her. "It's not that funny."

"Sorry, sorry," Alyx said, though she was still laughing.

With a low grumble in his throat, Gordon started moving, pressing his back to the wall and shimmying along the narrow path along the cliff-face. Now and again debris would tumble down, knocking bits of the path away, but nothing life threatening. Finally, the path widened into an open area of dust and debris, just over the ridge from where they had spoken to Eli.

Gordon looked out across the canyon at the Citadel as he walked into the open. There was an open section on the side leading to a random corridor. His gaze travelled down to the space between him and the Citadel.

"Mind the gap…" he muttered.

"Why's Dog taking so long?" Alyx murmured, now beside him, though facing the other way. She cupped her hands around her mouth. "Dog?"

A gasp escaped her, and Gordon turned. A piece of flaming debris the size of a truck tumbled from the sky, thrown from the Citadel. It was headed straight for Dog, still hidden behind the ridge.

"Oh my God, look out!" she cried, though too late. The debris crashed down, sending a cloud of dust billowing up and over the ridge. Gordon suddenly found it difficult to breathe, his chest tightening from shock.

Alyx continued shouting. "Dog! Dog! Dog, are you all right?"

There was no response, and Gordon swallowed, his throat dry. He had only just come back, surely the world wasn't _that _cruel.

Bits and pieces of rock and metal tumbled into the air from behind the ridge, until Dog finally sprang out, looking happy and oblivious to the worry he had caused. Perched on top of the ridge, he bent his head forward to look at the intensely relieved Alyx.

"Oh, thank God," she sighed, before adding angrily, "You scared the hell out of me. Now stay with us, and help us find a way over."

That bit of discipline taken care of, Alyx wandered to the edge of the precipice, arms folded.

"I cannot believe we're trying to get back in that place," she said, shaking her head. "This isn't gonna be easy."

Gordon took in the problem with a frown, trying to apply some kind of scientific method to this problem. He sighed and shrugged at Alyx, who then turned back to Dog.

"Well, Dog? What do you think? Any ideas?"

The robot looked a little surprised he was being asked before whipping his head around, searching for something on the ground. Holding his hand out like a pincer, a yellow glow not unlike the Gravity Gun emitted from his fingers, bringing a lump of rock to him. Gordon remembered playing fetch with Dog two nights ago. Well, two nights ago for him, anyway.

With a thrust of his arm, Dog sent a charge into the rock and propelled it across the abyss. It tumbled through the air for a long time before finally arriving in the corridor.

"All right, Dog," Alyx laughed, "That's not too helpful." Dog whined, and Alyx put her hand on her chin in thought.

"It worked, though," Gordon said, prompting a look from Alyx.

"Yeah, for a rock, Gordon," she admonished, before staring across the void in frustration. "There _has _be a way across. But how?"

Interrupting any further conversation, Dog started jiggling about excitedly on the spot, like a kid in grade school who knew the answer.

"Dog?" Alyx asked, looking a little troubled.

Then, without a moment's pause, the robot thundered off to the right-

"Dog, where are you-"

-before throwing himself over the ridge and disappearing.

"…going?" Smiling, she looked back at Gordon with a shrug. "Was it something I said?"

As if in response, there was a resounding metal crash from behind the ridge as Dog dug around for… something.

Alyx sighed, and Gordon suddenly got the notion that Dog did this sort of thing often. "Dog, what are you-"

An exhaust pipe flew through the air, quickly followed by a red van door. Gordon and Alyx stepped aside in opposite directions.

She shook her head. "I think Dog needs a few bolts tightened."

That comment got a response in the form of the rest of the red van flying through the air towards them, and Gordon's eyes bulged.

"Look out!" Alyx cried.

Gordon stumbled back to avoid the careening vehicle. He saw Alyx roll aside, picking up dust on her jacket. Dog appeared on the ridge, looking quite pleased with himself as he jumped down to the ground beside them. Alyx had that disciplinarian look about her again as she moved over to Dog.

"Dog, really. That was a little close," she scolded, and Dog ducked his head. "What's gotten into you, huh?"

While she was chatting to Dog, Gordon walked over to the van, trying to understand Dog's reasoning for this… gift. The van was missing tyres and doors, was rusting, falling apart… Confused, he looked though the cab at Alyx's conversation with Dog.

"How exactly is this supposed to help us?" she asked, leaning forward to chat to the crouching Dog.

In reply, the robot just looked at the opening in the Citadel. Alyx followed his gaze, then looked back to Dog.

"What?"

Gordon understood just as Alyx looked back at him, the same look of disbelief on her face.

"Wait a minute," they said, in perfect synch.

"Oh no," Alyx said vehemently, shaking her head. "You're not serious. Are you?"

A hand resting on the top of the cab, Gordon closed his eyes and rested his forehead against the back of his arm. "He's serious, isn't he?"

"Well…" Alyx sighed. "Gordon, unless you have a better suggestion? He _is _a robot. He's done the math." Though he wished he hadn't, Gordon heard the murmured afterthought to that statement. "You, uh... _did _do the math, right?"

Looking up to see the response, Gordon saw Dog look shocked at the very _concept _of math before shaking his head.

"Uh-huh," Alyx murmured knowingly, patting Dog on the head before taking on a completely different tone of parenting; the lies to make the kid feel better. "I want you to get out of here as _fast_ as you can," she urged. "Go find Dad at White Forest."

Dog whined, and she stroked one of the flaps on his head. "We'll catch up, don't worry."

The robot suddenly enveloped her in a bear hug, lifting Alyx from the ground and eliciting a delighted laugh from her. Delicately, Dog let her down to the ground, and she patted his arm.

"All right, all right. I'll miss you too. Now don't worry about me, I'll see you soon."

Without a word, Dog galloped around the van and charged at Gordon. He waved his hands around as the robot quickly closed in.

"No, Dog, that's okay, I-"

But it was too late, and he too was wrapped in a robotic hug, lifted into the air in a carefree manner that made him look back at the canyon behind him nervously. Then, with none of the care he had shown Alyx, Dog dropped him to his feet again, bobbing his head up and down happily.

A little breathless, Gordon smiled and nervously patted Dog's arm. "Thanks."

"The One Free Man," Alyx announced, "saviour of the world, enemy of the Combine… and afraid of hugs."

Resisting the urge to grumble, Gordon slipped into the passenger side. "You can drive."

Alyx just grinned as she clambered in, grasping the wheel with both gloved hands. Gordon cocked a questioning eyebrow at the gesture, and Alyx shrugged. "Makes me feel better."

The van shook beneath them as Dog got a grip. She took a deep breath, and focused her gaze across the chasm, towards their destination. "Brace yourself, Gordon."

He reached over to fasten his seatbelt, and a feeling of resignation washed over him as he grabbed thin air. No seatbelts. Looking around the cab, Gordon ended up shrugging and pressing his hands to the roof and seat.

"Okay Dog, let's do it," Alyx said, though it looked like she was psyching herself more than anything. "Before I change my-"

Dog lifted the van, tipping it forward and giving them a view of the canyon. Wow. It really was bottomless. A razor train trundled along a track _very _far below them, which also, helpfully, leant a scale to the sheer drop beneath them.

"Okay, okay…" Alyx chanted. Dog lifted the van up straight again. "Careful…"

The van tipped back, and Gordon pressed even harder with his hands.

Alyx sounded like she was squeezing her words out as Dog tossed them. "Hold on!"

Everything went quiet as they soared through the air, cold wind rushing against the nervous sweat on Gordon's forehead. Then they landed, scraping and banging against the metal floor before finally crashing sideways on with the wall. Gordon smashed his shoulder against the hard metal, prompting a very loud 'HMMM' from him and a helpful reminder from the HEV suit about a sudden impact.

"Whew…" Alyx extracted her hands from the wheel and turned to face Dog. "Good throw, Dog!"

Smiling, she looked back to him, and frowned. "You okay, Gordon?"

He nodded quickly. "Just need a minute for the suit to… do… medical things."

Unconvinced, Alyx turned back to look at Dog, who was happily jumping up and down at how successful his plan was. Gordon's attention, however (now that the HEV suit was doing its' job), was directed at the metal grating on the floor on which they had landed. It seemed to be… bending.

"Now _go_, Dog," Alyx urged, unaware. "We'll be just fine-"

The grating fell away, and the van lurched forward and down.

"Uh-oh. What now?"

Ignoring the pain in his shoulder, Gordon pressed his hands to the same spots of the cab again, and watched Alyx grab onto the wheel.

"Hold on!"

The van toppled into the chasm, falling through the darkness that was only occasionally illuminated by the occasional flash of light whizzing by. They hurtled into a diagonal tunnel, the metal of the van screeching and rending in the face of their horrific speed before they were launched from that into another chamber, this one full of the pods Eli and Alyx had been held captive in.

"Whoa!"

They passed through a sparking blue shaft of light, and Gordon closed his eyes, expecting pain as they passed through. Instead, all of his hairs stood on end. Finally, they rocketed through another hole in the wall, this one leading diagonally down into a corridor. They both lurched forward as the van collided with the ground, miraculously managing to stay in their seats.

The van scraped along the metal floor, heading for a guardrail overlooking a precipice. What was with the Combine and heights? The vehicle turned as it approached the edge, the back end smashing through the guardrail and poking over the side.

Then it stopped.

Gordon and Alyx both sat in silence for a moment, staring straight ahead. It was hot in here. Flames peeked through broken gaps in the walls and floor, the once smooth metal surfaces shattered and jagged. Sparks flew. The once cool blue of the Citadel had been replaced by an apocalyptic orange. There was a smell like burning rubber in the air, only sharper. It almost hurt his nose to breath it.

"All right," Alyx said quietly. "Let's get off before the next ride starts."

He nodded and shrugged. "Yeah. Okay."

They both extricated themselves from the van slowly, stopping for every creak and groan that accompanied their movements. No sooner had they reunited at the front the van did the vehicle give up the ghost and tumble back into the abyss.

"Holy crap," Alyx blurted, jumping back.

They could hear it as it fell, crashing between the narrow walls of the Citadel. Frozen, Alyx and Gordon stared at the spot the van had once occupied.

Unsurely, he glanced down the corridor. "Shall we-"

"Yeah."

They started walking. Gordon kept a hand on the Gravity Gun to keep it at his side, and saw Alyx draw her pistol out of the corner of his eye. They crossed a bridge over the chasm and proceeded into a darker, musty corridor. Sparks flew from a panel on the wall far ahead of them, before finally exploding and showering the corridor in metal and circuitry.

Alyx gave the debris a cursory glance as they passed it. "Oh my God, this place is really coming apart."

The corridor ended at a small balcony overlooking another deep trench. Above their heads were the rails the pods were transported along. Before, this place had seemed insidious, cold. In the orange, flickering light, everything suddenly took on a far more demonic vibe.

Agape, Alyx stared down the immense chamber. Gordon busied himself looking for a way forward, and saw it in the form of another walkway on the left, a little further down. Tucking the Gravity Gun behind his back, Gordon vaulted over the guardrail of the balcony, landing quite smoothly on the smooth metal. He was getting pretty good at all this jumping and climbing stuff.

"This is unbelievable," Alyx muttered. "I had no idea."

"What?" Gordon asked, gesturing for her to hurry.

She had to tear her eyes away from the chamber before jumping over the guardrail and landing beside him.

"This place, it's… huge."

He looked at her oddly as they moved onward. "Yeah…"

"No, I mean… last time through here, I couldn't see a thing." Her gaze travelled upwards to the empty racks on the walls. "I was in one of those pods." She shivered inwardly, her head twitching a little. "I'm glad we're doing this together," she added, relieved.

Gordon didn't bother to say anything out loud for fear he would make an ass of himself. Which was highly likely. He wasn't really sure what was happening between him and Alyx. All he knew was that he enjoyed having her around, and not just in a 'Someone to help me kill evil aliens and also keep me alive' way. And he didn't want to do anything that would jeopardise that. And considering his tendency to drive away women with innocuous comments that always ended up getting him in trouble, it was probably best to keep his mouth shut.

The metal path took them through several more burning corridors before they reached a force field blocking their way. It led to a corridor going to the right, leading to a larger room they could see through an observation window beside them. Inside, Gordon saw the… creatures he had seen working on the Citadel, during his ascent to Breen's office. One of them had screamed as it passed him. It was a noise he never wanted to hear again.

One of them was directly on the other side of the glass, and would have been staring right at them if it wasn't occupied with the console in front of it. The other was further into the room, facing towards the corridor Gordon and Alyx would enter through. A thin red laser tunnelled from the metal visor seemingly welded to the face, although what it was shooting at, Gordon couldn't have guessed. Strange that these creatures were 'it's to him, and yet Dog was a 'he'.

Beside him, Alyx gasped. "Oh my God. Stalkers."

His gaze whipping from her to the Stalkers several times, Gordon pointed to the one closest to them. "Stalkers? _Those _are…"

_After staring ahead blankly for a few moments, Barney sighed and went to checking his rifle once more. _

"_Do you know what Stalkers are, Gordon?"_

_For a moment Gordon considered a dry retort, but knew it wasn't the right time for it. Barney was talking about something specific, something to do with the Combine. He settled for shaking his head._

_Barney nodded. "Good."_

Those were Stalkers? That was what happened to Barney's friend? Turned into one of these… things? Even if you knew _this _had happened to someone… you wouldn't be able to tell who was who. Their identity erased.

"Well, they shouldn't bother us if we leave them alone," Alyx said gently, visibly shaken by them. She seemed to push it aside pretty quickly, holstering her pistol and moving to the console beside the force field. "I'll just disable this field, and-"

The wall of blue energy flickered on and off a few times. Gordon moved over to it, thinking that he might be able to slip through. It reappeared in full force when he reached it, though, and Gordon put _that _idea on the backburner.

"Damn, I can't get this down," Alyx muttered. "Something's…"

The way her voice disappeared drew Gordon's attention over to her. She was looking at the Stalker working on the console.

"It's that Stalker," she said, her voice husky. "He's holding it from the other side. We don't have time to look for another way around."

Tongue in cheek, Gordon looked around for something to use. Something that could get through force fields. Except he had now idea about getting through force fields. He'd seen Combine soldiers walk through them. How did they get through? Was it the uniforms? Some device _on _their uniforms?

Sighing, he turned away from the force field and the observation window altogether. A wide open canyon of a space stretched out in front of him, yellow mist down below making it impossible to see how far down this one went. He walked out onto the glass walkway overlooking a path below. A malfunctioning lift platform jerked and jolted up and down at the end of the walkway, leading to… whatever it was that was beneath him.

Clear pipes that looked like they were made of plastic ran over his head, weaving a tangled web before coming to a stop facing downwards at the end of the lower path. There was a button beside it, which Gordon assumed released something from said pipe. Keeping his eyes on the stretch of pipe in front of him, Gordon saw something about the size of a football rush past. He recognised the shape from driving along the coast.

A little more excited than he probably should have been, Gordon pointed a finger at the pipe, glancing over his shoulder at Alyx. "What about the… uh… electric magnet ball, uh… what do you call these?"

She looked up from the console appearing _very _confused, but then her face broke out into a smile. "Rollermines," she marvelled, running up beside him. "They could help us get out of here. Can you get one? I've got an idea of how to use one here."

"Uh…" Gordon cast a look to the platform bouncing up and down. There _was _a way down he could sort of see involving crawlspaces and what looked like broken ramps, but he really didn't want to go there. Then he looked at the pipe in front of him and hefted the Gravity Gun around. He nodded to the pipe. "Can your gun break that?"

Alyx shrugged, un-holstered the pistol, and shot the pipe. The surface cracked around the rapid fire bullets. "Guess so."

With a smile, Gordon blasted the cracked surface with the Gravity Gun, clearing a gap big enough for him to snatch one of the travelling rollermines. He backed up a few steps and kept his finger on the button; he remembered how painful these things were when they were left on the floor.

"Now what?"

"Dad taught me how to reset the targeting sensors on these things. A little extra juice in the right spot, and it's on our side. Hold it out where I can work on it."

He did so, and she pulled out the hacking device from her belt. With a loud static sizzle, the blue energy thrumming beneath the panels of the rollermine became a neon yellow.

"There it is," she said, slipping the hacking device away. "It's a lot more unstable, but it should last long enough to take out those Stalkers."

His thumb came halfway off the button when he glanced at her. "You're sure?"

"It'll be fine," Alyx threw casually over her shoulder, heading back to the console.

Acquiescing with a tilt of the head, Gordon released it, and winced. Nothing happened. Well, nothing happened to _him_. The rollermine trundled off quite happily through the force field, heading for the Stalker that was busy lasering… something. It didn't notice the rollermine charging towards it until it bumped against its' leg. A massive bolt of yellow energy sprang out between them, propelling both the Stalker and the rollermine away from each other. The Stalker hit the wall hard, and then slumped to the floor.

Gordon noticed Alyx's worried look as the rollermine did the same to the other Stalker. He opened his mouth to say something when he noticed the rollermine glowing red and beeping rather ominously, like a countdown. Finally, it leapt up into the air and exploded, the two of them protected by the observation glass.

"Okay, we can get through now," Alyx informed him, solemnly tapping away on the keyboard and lowering the force field. "Let's go."

He clamped his mouth shut and nodded, leading the way again. The room itself looked like a security station.

They moved on, coming out into another echoing chasm of a chamber. It felt odd to see these things from this perspective; last time he had been floating above it, struggling to take it in all at once. There was the worry about where he was going and if he was going to live, as well. Although that _always_ seemed to be a major concern for him.

They had to move carefully along the glass walkway - it was difficult to tell where the broken gaps were. As they reached a corner going off to the left, a noise coming from a bridge ahead of them caught their attention.

They ducked down at the sounds of Combine radios.

"Soldiers," Alyx whispered, and they both watched as two soldiers walked out onto the bridge. "Looks like they're too busy trying to get out of here to worry about us."

An explosion followed the soldiers, throwing two more out onto the bridge and killing all of them. It dissipated quickly, and Gordon and Alyx moved around the corner and into the corridor waiting for them. That same corridor led them around and up to the bridge littered with debris and dead soldiers.

They exchanged a wary glance before they moved on, heading into the narrow, dark corridor the explosion had originated from. A chunk of machinery hung from the wall above their heads, looking not unlike the devices that had confiscated Gordon's weapons when he had first arrived in the Citadel. Their way was blocked by chunks of rock and more machinery piled up in front of them.

Gordon swung the Gravity Gun around.

"Hey, good idea," Alyx commented from behind him.

"Thanks. I… _think_ this my first time using it for its' actual purpose."

She laughed, and Gordon was happy his ridiculously goofy smile was hidden from her.

Then, with a loud metallic thud, the machinery above them sprang to glowing life, blue energy striking out against the walls and floor. Alyx grabbed Gordon's arm and yanked him back, and they watched from the bridge as the blue energy sent the debris tumbling _up _into the air, floating without gravity as they dissolved into nothing. It reminded Gordon of the secondary fire of the pulse rifle. The reaction, too, dissolved, and the machinery powered down.

"Well, that was random," Alyx said, and Gordon nodded.

They promptly rushed through the corridor and out into the chamber beyond, the path along the wall eventually leading them to a bridge that looked like it was a force field in itself. Posts stood on either side of the 'path', green lights on the top indicating it was in working order. The bridge stretched far out across a chasm beneath them. Gordon was getting tired of all these big drops. Although, at the same time, that was good, because he wasn't feeling the same vertigo every time he glanced down.

He tapped his foot on the force field, and gave a satisfied nod when he surmised it was solid.

A Combine radio squawked from across the bridge, and soldiers emerged from a doorway on the other side. They were approaching the halfway point of the bridge when something big groaned. Looking over to the right, Gordon saw the entire wall taken up by a colossal version of the confiscation machine. Sparks flew from exposed circuitry at the top. The soldiers weren't paying any attention to it, however, and kept on coming even as a vortex of blue energy pounced out at them. It was like a hurricane turned on its' side, swirling violently and pulling every last one of them into the glowing blue light at the centre of the machine.

That seemed to be the end of it, and relative silence descended, punctuated only by the crackling of unseen fires and distant explosions.

"Holy crap," Alyx gasped. "We've got to cross through _that?"_

Gordon let out an exasperated grunt, his shoulders slumping. What was this machine even _for?_ Why would the Combine need a confiscation device _that big_, and in the middle of this… _chasm_? Did Striders and Gunships come back to the Citadel with contraband? Giant, alien contraband that needed to be confiscated?

The vortex thrummed into being again, shaking the room around them as it swirled and groaned. Then, just as quickly, it vanished again.

"Okay," he moaned, "if we time it right, we'll be fine."

Looking equally disillusioned with the whole thing, Alyx nodded. "I'll be right behind you."

The vortex sprang to life again. Gravity Gun tucked under his arm so it didn't bounce about wildly, Gordon waited for the blue energy to wink out again before sprinting across the bridge. He was over with time to spare by the time the vortex started up again, though Alyx cut it much closer.

They were both breathing heavily, and Gordon rested against a guardrail, giving himself a moment. Alyx did the same.

"We made it!" she breathed, and Gordon gave her a thumbs up. After returning it, she nodded down the corridor. "Come on. Gotta keep moving."

Gordon grunted in acknowledgement and followed, casting one last disbelieving glance back at the bridge. Moving on through the darkness, they passed a force field on their left that blocked another corridor. Gordon eyed it suspiciously as he walked past, waiting for more soldiers to emerge, and ended up bumping into Alyx, who had stopped.

"_What_ went on in here?" she said gravely.

Peering over her shoulder, Gordon saw the corridor had simply ended, overlooking a chamber bathed in red light. Unlike the rest of the Citadel, however, this red light seemed to be deliberate. After an unsure glance back at him, Alyx vaulted over the guardrail blocking their way into the chamber.

Gordon followed, a cautious hand on the Gravity Gun. It was a massive cylindrical chamber, stretching as far down as anywhere else in the Citadel. The semi-circular glass platform on which they stood was at the top of the chamber, though Gordon's view of anything above them was blocked by the ceiling, which matched the shape of the platform. A guardrail ran along the side of the platform. Leaning out, Gordon saw the chamber extend up further than he could see, though he thought he could make out the sky above them.

In the middle of the guardrail stood an upright tube, though it seemed more like a slide from a water park, the way the top was exposed. Metal, horizontal bars had been put in place to prevent… whatever went through the tube from escaping. Gordon's eyes followed the tunnel down below the platform, leading to a closed hatch in the wall just beneath their feet.

And further down below was something very odd indeed.

"What the hell are those things?" Alyx breathed, hands on her knees as she bent forward to inspect them.

Gordon knelt down to do the same, resting a hand on the glass floor. The red light was shining up at them from there, shining out from fixtures planted all the way down to the bottom. And stretching out of the chamber walls, like huge stepping stones leading down the chamber, were pods. At least, that's what Gordon thought they were. Each of them about the size of a car, looking like huge plastic milk cartons.

"Incubation pods?" he mused quietly.

Alyx 'hmm'ed. "Could be… but incubation for what?" She turned to the wall of the chamber. "Maybe this console has some useful information."

He got to his feet as Alyx worked on the huge console attached to the wall. There were too many controls to count in this place, indicative of the amount of maintenance these things needed. Whatever these things were.

"Let me see if I can pin down a path to the core…" she murmured, tapping away on the different keyboards faster than Gordon could follow. He checked around for exits. Other than the corridor they had emerged from which was now on the left, there was a force field blocking a corridor on the right-hand side of the platform. Alyx's hacking device would be able to get them through that. He guessed, anyway.

The monitor suddenly changed, the cool blue background and continual running text replaced by the image of Dr Breen, talking directly into the camera.

Alyx did a double take at the screen before looking back at him. "Breen? But how?"

It looked like one of the broadcasts, but there was something…

"_It's me you should be concerned about. I can still deliver Earth, but not without your help. The portal destination is untenable, surely you can set the relay elsewhere. There's no way I can survive in that environment." _

Breen paused, as though hearing a response from the screen. Then Gordon recognised it.

As though matching his thoughts, Alyx sighed relieved. "Oh, thank God, it's just an old recording." Shaking it off, she got back to work as Breen continued talking. "Let me see if I can find a map."

"_A host body? You must be joking, I can't possibly- oh, all right, damn it, if that's what it takes. Just hurry, he's right behind me."_ He turned to face what Gordon remembered to be himself and Alyx. _"Oh, shit!"_

Gordon hadn't really had time to think about it before, but a host body? What did that mean? Some kind of transfer? And Breen had agreed to it, too. Did that mean he was still alive in some other body? Or did Gordon end up interrupting the process with the Gravity Gun, as he so often did?

The audio from the recording cut in and out, and the display quickly followed suit, followed by the same green creature Gordon had seen twice before now, both times in some form of 'conversation' with Breen.

Alyx glanced up and down from the screen to the controls. "What the hell?"

Without thinking, Gordon brought the Gravity Gun up. Then it vanished, replaced again by the blue screen.

Something hissed down below, and, casting their gaze down, they saw two jets of steam or smoke spurting out from either side of the hatch just beneath them. The hatch opened, and _something _was slowly delivered through the tube, travelling underneath the platform.

"What the hell is that?"

Gordon didn't answer, mostly because he didn't have one. It resembled the creature from the monitor, though without the eerie green light it looked more the colour (and shape) of a marshmallow. It was resting on its' side, though whether it was sleeping or dead… he couldn't tell. A slick, shiny membrane covered the creature, the lower portion of its' body hidden by a gleaming white metal shell. It reached the upright portion of the tube and was pulled upright by unseen machinery.

Cautiously, and with an eyebrow cocked, Alyx rapped a finger against the white metal shell.

And then Gordon saw red, literally. The flash of light blinded him, and his head pounded like someone had clubbed him around the skull with a lead pipe. He saw Alyx clutch her head and grab onto the guardrail for support. His hands letting the Gravity Gun drop, he stumbled over to her.

Another red flash, this one throwing him off course and to his knee. He pressed a hand to his temple, thought it did precious little to ease the pain. He felt hands wrap around his arm, and looked up to see Alyx heading for the closed doorway on the other side of the platform.

"Let's get out of here!" he heard her say faintly, though all he could really concentrate on was leaving, any way he could.

They both stumbled together towards the force field blocking the doorway and eventually collapsed against it as another flash hit them. Turning back to face the creature, they saw it finally disappear up the tube.

And, just like that, the pain was gone. Regrettably, the flashing colours in front of his eyes were not, and he blinked to try and get rid of them as they caught their breath.

"What the hell was that thing?" Alyx whispered, her voice trembling almost imperceptibly.

Gordon took a moment to close his eyes and take a deep breath. When he looked over at Alyx, he realised she was shaking, sitting in a heap on the floor. His hand hovering in the air unsurely for a moment, he finally brought it down on hers.

"Whatever that was, it's gone now," he said, trying to sound reassuring and cursing the fact that his voice was shaking too.

She seemed to appreciate the gesture, though, and nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, you're right. Okay… let's get out of here."

With that, she hefted herself to her feet. Not wanting to seem any more or less shaken than her, Gordon stood up by himself, using the wall as a brace. Alyx used her hacking device on the lock beside the force field, deactivating it with a fizzle of sparks.

She pulled out her pistol and turned to face him, looking as though nothing had happened. Because nothing _had _happened. They were here with a job to do. Personal problems took a backseat, just as they had a Black Mesa. Concentrate on the goal.

Suddenly, on at least some superficial level, Gordon felt better. Grasping the Gravity Gun tightly, he nodded to her and they moved on.

"You get the information you needed?" he asked, keeping an eye on the corridor ahead as he spoke.

Alyx nodded. "Yeah. We're pretty close to an entry point, but we'll have to take an elevator."

He shrugged. "Better than stairs."

He saw her smile in the dingy light of the corridor, and felt a little better. They turned a corner and were confronted with the bright lights of a confiscation room, the same kind that had supercharged his Gravity Gun and suit before.

Cautious, Gordon put a hand out in front of her as they reached the entrance.

She looked down at the hand like she had never seen one before, then to him. "What?"

"Just in case," he said calmly, tapping the lambda symbol on the HEV suit as he walked into the room. Force fields activated at the entrance and exit as he reached the middle of the room, and he smiled.

"Gordon? What's going on in there?"

He turned to face her, pointing a finger in the air as the automated Combine voiceover took over.

"_Confiscation field activated."_

The same bolts of energy from before lanced out towards the Gravity Gun, pulled towards the orange crystal at the centre. His HEV suit bleeped affirmatively as power surged through it, filling it well past full capacity.

"Hey, it's doing something to the Gravity Gun," Alyx said thoughtfully, like the scientist's daughter that she was.

The reaction ended and the confiscation devices on the walls sputtered sparks and coughed smoke as they deactivated, exhausted. The force fields collapsed, and Alyx moved over to the Gravity Gun.

"It looks like it did in Breen's portal reactor," she marvelled, crouching down beside it. She looked up at him with a smile. "I'd say their security device backfired."

Clenching and unclenching his fists, Gordon nodded. The HEV suit was healing cuts and bruises he didn't even know he had. He had never felt better. Well, no, he had, actually, before Black Mesa. But he had never felt better _since _Black Mesa. Although Eli at Black Mesa East telling him he was getting a lab coat… that was a close second.

Alyx tilted her head, amused. "What's up with you?"

"Hm?"

"You're… smiling."

He shrugged. "I feel good." To make his point, he walked over to a blank patch of wall and elbowed it as hard as he could. It clanged loudly, and Gordon stepped back to let Alyx inspect the dent he had left there.

"Woah…" She looked at him, frowning but gaping at the same time. "How does that work?"

"Supercharged the electrical field of the suit," he said lightly, trying not to let the feeling of satisfaction show through too much.

Alyx nodded appreciatively. "Cool."

Gordon tried not to grin. He had never been 'cool' in his entire life. "Okay," he said nonchalantly, scooping up the Gravity Gun, "let's get to that elevator."

"All right, all right, don't get too cocky," she admonished, giving a little shove as she sauntered past.

When he was confident she was no longer looking, he permitted himself a nerdy grin.

He followed her out into another huge chamber like the one he had been given a tour of when he had first come to the Citadel. As they crossed a glass bridge from one end of a chasm to another, an almighty hum gave pause to them both. It was coming from below. Looking down, they saw a gunship slowly hover up into view, looming over them like a thundercloud.

It tapered this way and that as it struggled to reach altitude, finally managing to wobble over their heads, leaving a rush of warm, exhaust scented air in the wake of its engines. That proved too much to maintain, however, and the ship crashed into the left wall, bounced against the right, and finally tumbled down into the abyss below, explosions bursting from its body until it disappeared into the yellow-y mist below.

Frozen and staring down, Alyx asked, "Did you see that?"

Gordon nodded. "Big."

They both blinked at the same time to snap themselves out of it and moved on. They followed the walkway around a corner and through a corridor, at the far end of which Gordon could see a misty orange chamber. A force field sat in the entrance to the chamber, maintained by a power core like the one he had helped Alyx disable in the city.

As they moved closer, soldiers emerged from a force field protected corridor on the right, almost colliding with them. Gordon whirled the Gravity Gun around, blasting all six of them around the corridor. It was over in a few seconds.

He moved on to the generator and removed the power core with the Gravity Gun, firing it into the chamber. As he waited for it to bounce around and explode, he looked back to Alyx, who was frozen with her pistol in front of her.

"Holy crap," she uttered simply. "That was… w-… holy crap, Gordon!"

"Yeah," he said, patting the Gravity Gun. "It's good."

The power core exploded, showing the chamber beyond in sparks.

"Well… yeah," Alyx said, as though it were obvious. She slipped her pistol away and walked over, heading into the chamber. He looked around as he followed her across the glass walkway. The chamber seemed to be a colossal elevator shaft, with a large circular platform extending out from the end of the walkway. How it was supported, Gordon had no idea, and didn't really want to question it.

"This looks like it could a transport elevator for the core," she called out from ahead of him.

They both looked down through the ice blue glass, and saw nothing but yellow mist below.

Alyx nodded, hands on hips. "Yeah, we must be on the right track."

There was a button extending out from the edge of the platform, and Alyx pressed it with an authoritative thumb. The elevator smoothly came to life, lowering them down into the yellow clouds. As it moved, the whirring sound of machinery became louder and louder, matching the increases in speed of the descending platform.

Sparks rained down on them from above, and a chunk of metal walkway the size of a van tumbled down on them. Gordon swung the Gravity Gun up towards it as Alyx ducked down, hands above her head.

The walkway stopped just short of Gordon's head, snatched in midair by the Gravity Gun. Moving over to the side of the platform, he let it drop down into the abyss.

"Nice catch," Alyx breathed.

The platform jolted, and they moved even faster.

"I think I can see a stop down below," Alyx said, looking down through the glass. Gordon followed her gaze and saw the glass walkway extending out beneath them. "Let's get off and see where it leads."

Gordon nodded, and squinted as more sparks showered down, followed by several more chunks of scorched metal and rock tumbling from above. None of them were a hazard to them, however, and any that were he easily managed to deflect. Wonderful things, supercharged Gravity Guns.

As they approached the stop, something dark loomed down on them, and they both turned their gaze upwards to see two pillars the size of Striders tumbling down at them.

"Can you catch that?"

"I can catch that," he muttered. He half-heartedly turned the Gravity Gun up at it, then let it drop. "I can't catch that."

Alyx stared at him. "You can't catch that?"

"I can't catch that."

The elevator reached the walkway, and they looked at each other, agreeing in unison.

"Run!"

Said run became more of a flying leap as the pillars crashed down through the glass platform, dragging it down into the smoky chasm below with a thunderous, quaking boom. They both lay on their side for a moment, breathing heavily as they looked back at the spot the platform had occupied.

"That was close," Alyx breathed, clambering to her feet and dusting herself off.

He did the same, minus the dusting. There really wasn't much point with the HEV suit, it would just get caked in blood and oil and dust and slime and sewage again. Not worth the effort of keeping it clean.

Alyx led the way towards a chamber that seemed unaffected by the destruction of the Citadel. The cold, harsh blues had remained intact in this area. Even the sounds of rending and burning and explosions seemed further away, more distant. He could even hear his boots echoing against the metal floor.

"Is this it?" he asked, nodding to a massive door at the far end of the room. The circular white symbol on the front denoted something important, he supposed.

She nodded. "I think so."

When they reached the door, different sections of it slid up in a seemingly random order, metal shifting and clanging loudly through the largely quiet chamber. It led into another room that looked largely the same, even down to the door with the white symbol. Gordon noted with some nostalgia that it was an airlock. Reminded him of the entrance to the Anomalous Materials lab.

The door slammed down behind them, and they waited for the second to open and lead them to the core.

Gordon blew out a preparatory breath. Hopefully this wouldn't get too complicated.

* * *

(A/N: Well, after saying 'maybe' so many times, I bit the bullet and started writing this. As if I could stay away, I'd miss Gordon too much.

But yeah, anyway, I've taken some liberties with the geography of the Citadel (as I will with a few of the upcoming chapters), simply because I didn't want things to get too repetitive. Of course, Half-Life is pretty repetitive in itself, just a lot of shooting and running and jumping, but hopefully I've managed to break it up and change it around enough that it's entertaining.

I'm really looking forward to tackling these chapters; I've got some ideas for them that I think will be pretty enjoyable. But! That's not for me to decide.

Well, that's all from me. Reviews, please!

_Next Chapter: Direct Intervention_)


	2. Direct Intervention

Disclaimer: I don't own _Half-Life._

_**Aftermath**_

_**Chapter Two: Direct Intervention**_

In the same manner as the one before it, the smooth metal door slid up into the ceiling in sections, each one clanging and groaning as they went. It revealed a long room with a console tucked away at the end. A passageway on the right was blocked by a force field.

A force field the soldiers had no difficult marching through, rifles at the ready.

Gordon pulled the first one to him with the Gravity Gun, allowing him to float immobile in front of him before firing him into his comrades. They tumbled like skittles, and Alyx started firing. Gordon joined her, blasting them into the ceiling and walls.

All in all, it took them a couple of minutes. Alarms sounded as they ran to the console, red lights flashing on the monitor. A door on the right-hand wall closed shut as they hurtled past.

Alyx slipped her pistol away and brought out the hacking device, directing it at the console in front of her. "I don't get it. Why are they hanging around here?"

As she tapped away, Gordon noticed a corridor on the left, also blocked off by a force field. At the far end he could see a lift platform. That seemed to be all there was, and, satisfied that no soldiers would suddenly come hurtling down at them, Gordon returned his attention to Alyx. He much preferred Alyx to soldiers, anyway.

"It looks like they were deliberately trying to blow the reactor," she muttered. "But why?"

With one final button, she managed to open the metal cover on the window behind the console. It gradually moved aside as if they were automatic curtains. Heavy metal curtains that were probably from planets and dimensions Gordon could only dream of, but still. Curtains.

The sight behind the curtains made them both gasp, but for completely different reasons.

"Oh my God," Alyx breathed, "it looks pretty far gone. I hope Dr Kleiner was right about this."

Gordon just nodded dumbly, his mouth slightly agape. It was beautiful. A dark energy core, surrounded by a weakening containment sphere that looked like oil on water. Occasionally, the dark core would pulse, becoming larger and expelling a powerful yellow aura into the containment sphere, where it gradually faded into a cool blue before disappearing altogether. When it pulsed, there was a low, muffled _boom_, like distant thunder. Or a heart beating.

Beautiful.

A metal circle sat beneath it, like a pedestal. Beneath that was another circle, this with a ladder attached to it going down. A shaft of blue energy extended down from the bottom of the core and out of Gordon's field of vision. Above the core, Gordon could see what looked like a colossal three-pronged metal claw rotating above it, like one of those machines they used to have in the Black Mesa Arcade. Barney had _really _wanted that stuffed monkey for some reason. After a certain point, Gordon was sure it had just become a matter of pride.

He blinked himself out of his scientist's reverie and focused on Alyx, who was speaking as she worked on the controls.

"Let's see if I can find a way through the control room…"

The door that had previously slammed shut promptly slid open, and Alyx led the way without any fuss. Gordon followed along, throwing one last glance at the core. He figured he'd be seeing it up and close and personal soon, anyway. He always did with these things.

It was another control room, though without a view. The consoles looked more complex, however. There was a glass door on the left leading into an elevator shaft, though the platform itself was missing. It was largely the same as the elevator Gordon had taken to stop the Dark Fusion Reactor. When he thought about it, Gordon guessed they were probably directly below the same spot where he had been fighting those Gunships and destroying Breen's last chance of escape. When He had appeared.

The thought made his head spin, and not in the good 'I've just had a great idea in the name of science' way.

Alyx was at the glass door, looking down the shaft. "The elevator's down in the core entry." She moved over to the console and started tapping away. "Let me see if I can call it back to this level."

As they waited for the elevator, Alyx changed the display on the monitor. She sighed, her head hanging. "These readings are off the chart. I hope it's not too late to re-engage the containment field." She gave him a smile over her shoulder, reassuring and kind. "Good thing you know what you're doing."

Gordon cocked an eyebrow, and searched her face for insincerity. "Was… that a joke?"

"What?" The barest traces of a frown lined her face. "No."

Feeling suddenly embarrassed and a little frightened, Gordon nodded. "Oh."

"…why would that be a joke?"

_Because despite what you may think about my education, my job at Black Mesa consisted of pushing things into other things while others took notes about the results._

Thankfully, Gordon saw the platform arrive before anything more could be said on the matter.

"Well," Alyx said quietly, "here's your elevator."

The glass door slid open, and Gordon walked over, Alyx by his side, almost escorting him. He stopped at the entrance, noticing Alyx's worried look and the way she wrung her gloved hands.

"Gordon, I…" The sadness in her voice made Gordon want to get in the elevator even faster. "…I wish there something else I could do to help."

After a long moment when he had no idea what to do, he hesitantly reached out and squeezed her arm, giving her what he hoped was a reassuring smile. Of course, he hadn't seen his own reflection for days, so he had no idea what a reassuring smile coming from a grubby, sweaty, grimy, dusty Gordon Freeman face looked like. And so, rather than drag out the awkwardness of the situation any longer, he stepped onto the platform.

The door clanged shut between them with authority. In a moment rife with unpleasant déjà vu, Alyx put her hand to the glass. Though her expression held far more hope this time around.

"Hurry back."

He did a little salute, and the platform jerked to life, taking him down into the core. It was only at that moment, just as the elevator reached the bottom of the shaft and revealed the highly radioactive core, that one very important question occurred to Gordon.

"How does the HEV suit protect my head from radiation?" he murmured.

In a moment that couldn't have been accidental, the HEV suit pinged and informed him that a high radiation field had been detected. The light coming from the chamber made him squint, and he had to blink a couple of times as he emerged out onto the walkway to adjust. The Geiger counter crackled menacingly, and Gordon did his best to ignore it as he cast his gaze up to the pulsing, unstable core.

There were three black metal booths built into the walls of the chamber, each one at a different level relative to the core; lower, middle, top. The observation windows of each booth were covered by metal sheaths, and probably guarded by soldiers. Alyx had mentioned they were _trying _to blow up the core, so guarding the systems that could slow the process made sense. As much sense as triggering an explosion big enough to destroy a city made, anyway.

He plotted his way up. There were force field bridges linking different parts of the chamber together, though they didn't link everything. Gordon presumed there was a control to move the bridges around. If there wasn't, this was going to be short trip for everyone concerned.

Gordon started moving, heading across a force field bridge in front of him. This led to another platform with a maintenance console. It was flashing red.

"Yeah, no shit," he muttered before turning around.

There was another force field bridge, this one taking him to the far corner of the chamber. Once there, he came across an elevator platform that would take him up to the next level and closer to the core. Gordon travelled up, enjoying the brief respite the dark elevator shaft gave him from the headache inducing light of the core. At least, he hoped it was the light giving him the headache. He'd hate to save the city from a massive explosion only to be killed by radiation poisoning. Radiation poisoning of the head. Everything else would be in perfect working order, but his head would be withered away. Or it would turn green whenever he was angry, it was hard to tell with radiation.

He stepped off the elevator and found himself on the same level as the ladder that would take him up to the lower metal ring beneath the core. Ah, yes. Closer to the highly radioactive (if gorgeous) core of energy.

A force field bridge sat in front of him, extending out to another maintenance console on the other side of the chamber. The post extending out of the ground in front of the bridge caught Gordon's attention. He brushed his gloved hand over the red light at the tip of the post, and it promptly changed to green. The bridge redirected, shifting over to the bottom of the ladder.

With a self-satisfied nod and a 'huh', Gordon nevertheless ran to the ladder, not entirely convinced that the force field would hold. He clambered up, a headache gathering in his temple as he got closer to the core. It pulsed out at him as he stood up on the lower metal circle, and he put up a pointless hand to defend himself. Shaking his head at the gesture, Gordon walked around the metal circle, finding another force field bridge that led to the first control booth.

Gravity Gun at the ready, Gordon ran across as fast as he dared, keeping an eye on his footing. It was difficult to judge just how much traction one could get on a bridge made of energy.

He moved into the comparatively black doorway, taking a moment to let the spots fade from his vision before he proceeded any further.

Satisfied that he wouldn't miss a soldier stood right in front of him, Gordon whirled around the corner, coming face to face with an Elite. The soldier raised a hand and a took a breath before Gordon blasted him across the room, tumbling into two of his fellows.

A balcony on the left wall held two soldiers, the first of whom Gordon yanked towards him with the Gravity Gun, letting him take the bullets from his comrade before firing him back up and into his friend. Gordon walked over to the remaining soldiers on the ground floor and slammed them into the metal wall behind them, some of them head first, others breaking legs and arms as they impacted.

All of them dead.

As had become something of a ritual with him, Gordon pushed aside that particular thought, vowing to think about it later. Time to concentrate on the here and now, most specifically the machine that _wasn't _in this room. Beside the blocked window, however, Gordon saw an empty power battery, like the ones that had powered the suppression device and the gates in City 17. Something in the back of his mind compelled him to step back out into the core chamber again. There, he spotted four shafts of white light, two on either side of the chamber. The small power cores he was after travelled up, just like they had in the Dark Fusion Reactor up above.

Ever faithful Gravity Gun by his side, Gordon took one of the energy spheres and planted it in the empty battery in the booth. Without delay, the metal cover on the viewport slid aside in both directions. Accompanying it was another metallic groan from behind Gordon, and he turned on the spot to watch a section of the floor fold out of view. Emerging like a submarine from water, a complicated chunk of machinery the size of a portal generator emerged, all smooth greys and blues. Two cannon like fixtures extended out of the front as the device moved forward on rails that Gordon hadn't noticed before.

The 'cannons' pushed out through the viewport, pointed at the core. With a sudden thrum, dark energy encapsulated in a corkscrew of a containment field coursed out of the device and into the core. It was a sight to behold.

But there were still more devices to activate, and such little time. Gordon sighed and looked for a way out and up. A door that had previously been closed now stood open for him. With a shrug, he went through, Gravity Gun poised for anyone who could come for him. Inside, steps turned up and around until Gordon was looking out at the second level of the core, a force field bridge waiting for him.

He started walking, and was hard pressed to see a difference in the unstable pulsing of the core. Hand up in front of his eyes, Gordon wished for sunglasses. And as a nice side-effect, he'd probably look cooler with sunglasses.

The metal circle closer to the core had melted all along the inside, and still glowed molten yellow, the pulsing energy denying it a chance to cool. Another force field bridge extended out from the left hand side of the circle, his only way on to the next booth.

With a resigned, slow blink, Gordon suddenly launched into a run and leapt for the other bridge, using a portion of the melting circle as a stepping stone. His foot hit the circle between pulses of the core, and he landed chest first on the bridge. The force field's surface slowed his momentum pretty violently, and his glasses jerked from his face and tumbled off the bridge. His hand whipped out faster than he could have imagined, snatching the glasses in midair.

He had seen too much through these things; there was no way he was going to lose them now.

After slipping the glasses back on with an air of ceremony, Gordon clambered to his feet and moved to the entrance to the second booth. Just before he swung inside, he paused and looked back to the columns of white light that transported the smaller energy spheres.

Gordon smiled.

He snatched orb after orb, firing them one after the other into the booth. The garbled shouts and cries of the Combine soldiers were nearly drowned out by the ricocheting orbs. After several minutes of continuous noise, everything ended with one final orb explosion, and Gordon stepped inside in time to see sparks raining down around the room. There were no bodies.

After a satisfied nod, Gordon promptly reactivated the second containment device through the same steps as before. Step outside, orb in battery, activate device.

Another door opened for him once the device was active, taking him up another flight of steps. This brought him out onto a balcony only big enough to accommodate one person, overlooking the metal claws that rotated around the top of the core. Frowning, he glanced back to where he had come from. This probably wasn't the official route to the third booth. But he _really _didn't have time to go searching for a way around that was probably blocked by a force field.

Searching the chamber, he saw the booth on the opposite side, and the balcony he had to land on to get to the doorway. He nodded. That would do. A window halfway between him and the booth caught his eye. It was the room he and Alyx had first seen the core from. Alyx herself was stood at the window, hands pressed to the window, like she was trying to reach out for him.

So. He had an audience now. No pressure there, then.

He checked the claws, at the moment his only way across the brightly lit chasm below. They were only a couple of feet below the balcony. The surface of the claws resembled a ladder, and were luckily held at a diagonal enough angle that he would be able to hold on without too much difficulty.

Yes. Luckily. That was the word to use here.

Taking a deep breath, Gordon put a boot up on the guardrail and threw himself down onto the claw. He hit it with a loud 'Whoof', which probably would have echoed if not for the constant _boom_ of the core beneath him.

He shifted his feet cautiously, shakily standing up and waving his arms about to keep his balance. Before putting his attention on his destination, he took the time to give Alyx an 'ok' gesture. She returned it with a slightly panicked look, which didn't make him feel better.

The claw was coming around to the balcony now. Gordon prepared himself, leant back…

And decided against it when he heard Manhacks. Whipping his gaze around, Gordon finally looked up and saw three soaring down at him. Gordon ducked and swerved around two of them, and finally had to put his arm up to block the third. The blades dented against his suit, and the Manhack swerved away, whining like an injured baby.

Gordon studied his arm where the Manhack had cut into it. Not a mark on it. Checking his stats, he saw that they were recharging. His suit was feeding off the core.

A high pitched grunt of disbelief escaped him, though his train of thought was quickly drawn to the two other Manhacks swooping around for him. Twisting the Gravity Gun around, he brought one of the Manhacks to him and fired it into its' companion. They both shattered, sparks and metal flying everywhere.

The claw had nearly rotated all the way around, and was approaching the balcony again. Undeterred by the stunted blades at its' command, the Manhack charged at him. Gordon hit it with a charge from the Gravity Gun, demolishing it. Satisfied, Gordon moved to the edge of the claw and jumped, hitting the balcony at speed and tumbling into an awkward roll.

Arming himself with power cores again, Gordon made short work of the soldiers and activated the battery in what must have been record time. Not that anyone had ever done this before, so there wasn't exactly a record to be broken. But that meant he had _set _the record. He had never set a record before.

That earned a smile as he watched the final containment device activate, the black beams of energy blasting into the core. And then, with a flash that forced Gordon to close his eyes, the Dark Energy core shrank, the pulsing now far less powerful. Particles of light seemed to spill from the Gravity Gun and headed for the core, draining it of its' brilliant blue energy and finally leaving it a sparkling orange.

The HEV suit was probably back to normal, too. Gordon sighed. He supposed he'd have to start worrying about being injured again. Damn it. Hopefully the fact the suit was powered by the core would mean it had healed him faster than the radiation could damage him. Well, he'd find out later either way.

A doorway on his right opened up, and Gordon stepped through, taking the stairs at the end of the corridor. They led down and to the right, eventually bringing him out into a room… wait, he knew this room.

Alyx, stood at the window, turned to face him and smiled, surprised at his sudden appearance.

Frowning, Gordon looked back to where he had just come from. It was the corridor he had spotted before that had been blocked by a force field. How did that link up to where he had just been? As usual, Gordon Freeman had no idea how he had gotten where he was. He blinked the thought away as Alyx spoke.

"Gordon! You did it!" Alyx was in front of him now, pointing a thumb over her shoulder at the core. "The containment system's back in place. It won't last forever, but at least we've bought a little time." She nodded towards the other room, containing the larger console. "While you were in there, I did some poking around in the control data."

Gordon followed along, trying desperately to keep up with the information.

"They were trying to start a chain reaction, all right. But destroying the Citadel is just a side-effect."

"'Just'?"

Alyx nodded her agreement with raised eyebrows before continuing. "Since we took out Breen's reactor, this is the only way they have to send a transmission packet back to… _wherever_ they came from. I can't tell what the packet contains, but it's important enough that they're willing to sacrifice the whole Citadel to send it off. We need to get it back to my dad and Dr Kleiner at White Forest right away. I've been pulling down a copy. Whatever it is, I have a feeling it's bad news for all of us."

They reached the console, and Alyx stopped, scratching the back of her hand apprehensively in a manner that reminded him of Dr Kleiner.

"What?"

"There's something else. It's Judith."

He cocked an eyebrow at that. "Judith?"

Alyx nodded, turning to the console and tapping in a command. "The Combine must have intercepted it. Take a look."

The blue screen disappeared into static before being replaced by Judith Mossman's image. She was in a dank corridor that looked like it hadn't seen too much use. Judging by the damp on the windows and the thick coat Mossman was wrapped up in, it was somewhere cold. It was strange to think of her as an ally again, after spending so long thinking of her as a traitor. Even stranger to find himself thinking in terms of 'allies' and 'traitors'. But with the small amount of friends he had, a betrayal wasn't something that could be sniffed at.

So she wasn't 'Judith' yet. She was Mossman.

_"I'm fairly sure I've pinned down the location of the project. It's hard to say how much of it might have survived intact, or if there's anything remaining that could compromise our work if it were discovered by the Combine."_

"Where the hell is she?" Alyx muttered.

But Gordon was more interested in the 'project'. Was this something he should know about, or something from after Black Mesa?

"_We'll need to take a close look at it, of course, but I should be able to give you a better opinion in a few hours. If the site is where we think it is, then it should be no more than-"_

A dull explosion sounded to the right, and the camera shook. Mossman cast a nervous glance in that direction.

"_I'm going to cut this short, we may have been spotted."_

Gordon heard a familiar beep counting down, much like the explosive charges Combine soldiers attached to doors. The camera toppled from the explosion, facing a hole in the wall that looked like it had been forced open. Soldiers marched through, firing at unseen rebels while the silhouette of some… _thing _appeared in the makeshift archway. It had three legs, whatever it was, two on either side and one at the back, with what looked like thick hooves at the bottom of each one.

Two luminous blue eyes, one on top of the other, turned to face the camera, and the creature leapt towards it, moving its' face in close before the transmission ended, replaced by static.

"She's in serious trouble," Alyx said, shaking her head as she moved to the console. "We need to get this and the transmission packet to my dad. He'll know what to do with it."

She pressed a button on the front of the console, and a black stick about the size of a pistol clip ejected out.

"The packet's done copying. I've got it right here," she said, throwing him a smile as she put it into a slot on her belt. "Now let's get the hell out of here."

Alarms sounded, and the monitor flashed red before quickly being replaced by the image of the green Combine… slug… thing. The boss? Could Gordon call it that? Was that thing the boss?

"Uh-oh. I think they felt that." She pressed a button on the console and ran past him, heading through an opening door beside him. "I've secured an exit elevator, it's this way!"

Gordon started running, the sound of Combine radios and thundering boots spurring him on. Why was the elevator at the end of a very long corridor? And why were they _always _at the _opposite end _of the long corridor?

Alyx reached it well before him, and waved him over frantically, spotting something troubling over his shoulder.

"Come on! Get in!"

Gunshots cracked through the air, and bullets ricocheted off the cool metal walls. A few bullets hit him in the back, two at the top and the other his shoulder. He stumbled a little before reaching the elevator platform. Alyx slammed her fist against a button on the wall, and they started their descent.

Catching his breath, Gordon checked his stats. They weren't recharging anymore.

"You okay?"

He nodded. "What now?"

"This lift will take us to a train platform. If we can hitch a ride, it should take us straight out of the city." Her eyes flickered down to the Gravity Gun at his side. "Hey, the Gravity Gun's back to normal. It must have been feeding off the core," Alyx observed a little sadly. She shrugged, pulling out her pistol. "Well, it was nice while it lasted."

The platform reached ground floor, and Gordon checked down the corridor through the glass door. From what he could see, it was a straight line ahead to the end of the corridor, which, after a door that had been left open, turned abruptly to the left. Though he _could_ make out a force field blocking a corridor halfway down the right-hand wall. Soldiers would probably spring from there just as they reached it. That seemed about his speed.

The door opened, and they started running, Alyx keeping her gun on the force field as they ran. No soldiers emerged, and Gordon thought that maybe they would be able to get out of this pretty neatly.

The soldiers thought different, and stormed through the force field just as they reached the end of the corridor. Gordon bolted around the corner while Alyx doubled back, hacking device already drawn. She pressed it to a device beside the open door, and it slammed shut behind them.

"That won't hold them for long," she managed between breaths. "They'll be able to find another way around."

Gordon checked the area. They were in what must have been the check-in point of the train station. Through big glass windows Gordon could see the train platform itself, a rather closed off square of concrete with two jutting out of the ground. He didn't know what was catalogued here, and frankly, he didn't _want _to know. He could see a force field in front of a doorway on the right-hand side of the platform. The train itself was waiting for them, hissing and rumbling. From what Gordon could remember, it was a Razor train - the same ones that had travelled to Nova Prospekt. Between the windows in front of him was an open doorway that led down a ramp to the platform.

A ramp that two Rollermines were happily trundling up, towards them.

"Rollermines!" Alyx marvelled, before smiling. "They won't be expecting this."

He snatched them up one at a time, and Alyx did her magic. Gordon released them, and they bounced happily out onto the platform, heading for two soldiers that emerged from the opening door.

The first turned and was nailed in the chest by a Rollermine, the blast of yellow energy propelling him across the platform and against the patiently waiting train. His comrade didn't fare much better, sandwiched between the wall and the other Rollermine.

"Come on, Gordon," Alyx said quickly, leaping to her feet and pressing her hacking device to a console beside her. With a spurt of electricity, she got the door of the train to slide open. Without another word, they sprinted out onto the platform, past the overloading Rollermines and into the train.

More soldiers spilled out through the force-field on the platform as they tucked themselves into the dark train car. Alyx slammed her palm on a button beside the door, and it slid shut. The train rocked around them as it set off, and Gordon put a hand against the wall to steady himself.

"Well, that was a nice clean getaway," Alyx sighed, her shoulders slumping a little in the dim light. "I don't know what's in this copy we made, but they're not thrilled about us having it."

Red lights flickered into life above them, illuminating the car. Gordon took an instinctive step back when he saw what was hung from the right-hand wall. Her smile dropping, Alyx followed his gaze.

"Oh my God," she gasped. "It's a Stalker car."

There were eight or so Stalkers contained in the same metal pods that had held Eli and Alyx captive back in the Citadel. The top section of the pod closest to them had come loose, revealing the inert Stalker inside.

His voice incredibly quiet, Gordon kept his eyes on the Stalker as he spoke. "Is it… sleeping?"

Alyx shook her head, eyes fixed on the Stalker, but didn't offer an explanation. She took an angry, shaky breath. "God damn the Combine. This is what happens to you if you resist." Her expression softened considerably, and she reached out tentatively for the top section of the pod. "Or if you're just in the wrong place at the wrong time." She closed the pod, bowing her head. "I hope to God you can't remember what you were…"

Gordon swallowed, his throat suddenly dry. He waited patiently for Alyx to come out of whatever memories the Stalkers had elicited in her mind. There was no hurry anymore; just a potentially long train journey to… White Forest, was it?

Before he could think any further on the matter, Alyx rubbed her face with her hands before reappearing, eyes wide and blinking.

"All right. Let's see where this train is headed." She cast a look up and down the car, spotting a console at the far end. "With any luck, we should be well out of the city before it's too late."

It was a thin car, and there was barely enough room to move around the Stalkers as they made their way along. Gordon resisted the urge to mutter an apology when he bumped into the pods.

Alyx tapped away on the console and nodded, satisfied as she looked back at him. "Looks like we're on a good heading. Thank God we're not on foot, I doubt we'd have made it in time."

She gave him a genuine smile, one that made him a little uncomfortable. "It looks like you saved our lives again."

He shrugged, averting his gaze from hers. "Yeah, uh…" he cleared his throat. "It went well."

With a laugh that diffused the situation, Alyx cast a look around the train car. "Y'know… all things considered, we're not-"

A surge of panic hitting him, Gordon brought up a warning finger. "Don't."

She frowned. "What? I'm just saying, we're-"

"Don't say it."

"Gordon," she admonished, giving him a patronising stare, "I'm just _saying_, all things considered, we're not doing too-"

The train suddenly jerked to the side, and the lights flickered.

"What's that?"

Gordon dropped his head and sighed. Another sudden bump sent them crashing into the left-hand wall. Metal wheels screeched beneath them, and something else hit the train.

"Oh my God."

The train was rocking up and down almost continuously now. Alyx had her back to the console, her hands latched onto it.

"Brace yourself-"

The train car tipped into the air, and Gordon fell back, bouncing off the Stalker pods as he tumbled to the bottom, finally landing with a painful, metallic thud, his head hitting the ground (wall) at speed.

Groaning, he rubbed the back of his head as he moved into a sitting position. He opened his eyes and promptly yelped in shock.

A Stalker pod had come loose from the wall, the metal arm holding it stretching over towards him. The Stalker itself was wide awake, its' face just inches from his. They were all awake, screeching and writhing in their pods.

"Alyx?" he muttered, his head still pounding. The entire car, its' front end dipped downwards, was also diagonally on its' side, everything just slightly off kilter so that if he stood, one foot would be on the floor, and the other on the left wall. He rested back against the wall, shimmying around the frenzied Stalker. It didn't seem to notice he had gone.

Gordon climbed up the train car, using the Stalker pods as a climbing frame and trying to ignore the ear-tearing screams.

"Gordon! Gordon, over here! Help!"

Alyx was still by the console, pressed into the wall by a Stalker pod. She was pinned, and wriggled around, fruitlessly attempting to free herself. Her face was desperate, twisted in fear as she frantically moved about, like an animal caught in a trap. The Stalker kept on screaming, dots of spittle spraying onto Alyx's cheek.

"Help! Get it off me, make it stop!"

Panicked at just how scared she was, Gordon slipped a couple of times as he clambered up to the Stalker pod. He grabbed the metal arm latched onto the top of the pod and pulled. And pulled. And _pulled_.

Nothing.

"Cover its' eyes, cover it up!" Turning her face away from the Stalker, she clenched her eyes shut. "Please! Please stop screaming!"

Jaw set, Gordon rested back against the left wall and brought the Gravity Gun around. He aimed it at the pod and tried to pull it towards him. The metal arm jerked, and the pod twitched.

"That's it," Alyx gasped, like she could suddenly breath. She put her hands to the pod and started pushing. "Pull!"

Though he couldn't do much more, Gordon willed the Gravity Gun to pull faster. "Come on, come on…" he chanted though clenched teeth.

"Keep pulling!" The pod jerked away, but not enough for her to escape. "Almost there!"

Then, with one final metallic shriek, the pod flew towards him, stopping just ahead of him. The Stalker didn't seem to notice, and continued screaming. Rather than blast it away, Gordon just deactivated the Gravity Gun, letting the pod hang limply from the wall.

"That's it," Alyx breathed, scampering up the wall into the top corner like a frightened mouse. She curled up and covered her face, looking so unlike the Alyx he had known. He started to make his way over when his foot suddenly plunged downwards. Falling back into a sitting position, Gordon saw that he had stepped on a door. Reaching out with his leg, he kicked the second door down as well, and it swung open easily.

Peering down, Gordon saw solid ground only a couple of feet below. Light shone in from somewhere ahead. The way forward.

He looked up to Alyx and reached out with his hand. "Alyx, come on."

She didn't reply, didn't acknowledge he had even spoken.

"ALYX!" he shouted, and her head whipped up to look at him, surprised. Tears stained her cheeks, and Gordon did his best not to show the sadness and fear they brought about in him.

"Come on," he urged, as confidently as he could manage.

Blinking out of her daze, she nodded. Nervous eyes flitting back to the Stalkers, she crawled to the doorway. She paused for just a moment to look at him.

Gordon didn't smile or try to reassure her. This wasn't the time for her to be emotional; she needed to be the soldier she had been when she led resistance fighters in battle, not knowing if they were going to live. So he just nodded down to the ground beneath them.

She leapt down to the ground, and Gordon cast one last sorrowful look at the Stalkers. He wondered if they were anyone he had met in City 17.

"Sorry," he muttered, then leapt down into the unknown.

* * *

(A/N: Took some real liberties with this chapter, but I think they were all warranted. And I've got to say that Gordon standing atop the claws rotating above the core is one of those images that makes me yearn for a _Half-Life _movie.

Anyway, yeah, reviews welcome, so go nuts!

_Next Chapter: Lowlife_)


	3. Lowlife

Disclaimer: I don't own _Half-Life._

_**Aftermath**_

_**Chapter Three: Lowlife**_

The metal doorframe that led into the room beyond had been crushed by the train, and Alyx had to crouch to make her way through. The Stalkers' shrieks still echoing behind him, Gordon followed. It looked like a small parking garage, the bare white lights beating down on them as they stood up.

Gordon did a quick check of the area. It wasn't too big, and there was nothing in the room itself; just a force field at the far end blocking access to what looked like a tunnel. It was somewhat difficult to tell, the light from the garage only stretched so far.

"Hold up a sec," Alyx said pleadingly, slipping down against the wall until she was sitting on the ground. "I gotta…" She rested her head back, eyes closed. "…I gotta catch my breath…"

He looked over at her, saw just how affected she was. "Okay," he said quietly, nodding.

The Stalkers were almost inaudible now, and Gordon did his best to block them out as he walked over to her, leaning against the wall but not sitting down. He didn't want to crowd her after that. Although, if he was honest, it was as much for his own feeling of awkwardness as it was for her sense of personal space.

Though he was keeping his gaze on the force field leading into the tunnel, he could see Alyx opening her eyes and taking a deep breath.

"I'm sorry, Gordon, I just…"

Steeling himself, Gordon looked down to her. She wasn't matching his gaze, instead staring straight ahead.

"…I can't face them. Every single one of them was a person who resisted the Combine." She took that moment to look up at him, and he had to force himself to hold her intense gaze. "They're me. If I _ever _let my guard down, they…" Her eyes flitted back to the train wreck, now hidden by the collapsed archway. "They're me."

She closed her eyes again and rubbed her forehead with the palm of her hand.

Gordon still stared at her. Then he cleared his throat and looked down at the Gravity Gun, rubbing at a smudge on the metal frame that had probably always been there.

"Well, I, uh…"

Alyx was looking at him now, and he hoped to God the heat in his face wasn't showing.

"…I guess I'll just have to keep my guard up. For both of us."

For the longest time, she didn't do anything, and Gordon started to wonder if he had said anything at all, or just hallucinated the whole thing. He was beginning to consider saying it again when he felt Alyx's hand pull his away from the Gravity Gun. Anxiously glancing down, he both relaxed and tensed when he saw Alyx smiling up at him gratefully.

"That was the cheesiest thing I've ever heard," she said happily, shaking her head.

"…oh. Okay."

"No, but it was good," she added quickly. "I know what you meant, and…" She took a slow, calm breath, the first one since she had clambered out of the train. Then she squeezed his hand. "Thanks, Gordon."

She took another deep breath. "Okay," she asserted, yanking herself up using his hand. "Well… this might not be as easy as I thought. We're in the same boat as the other evacuees now; on foot to a train station."

After a cursory glance around the room, she hooked a thumb towards the force field.

"Let's head for the surface."

His hand dropped from hers. And suddenly it was as if nothing had happened. Judging by the heart rate showing on his stats, that was probably a good thing.

Alyx sent a charge through the control device beside the force field, and it flickered away. She pulled out her pistol and walked into the darkness. There was no light, no matter how much Gordon searched and squinted. Slapping a button on his wrist, he activated his flashlight, illuminating Alyx in a circle of light.

She shook her head in surprise, and turned to face him. "Oh! Good. I'm blind as a bat in here."

It was a long tunnel, stretching out further than the flashlight could reach. Old cars and wrecked trucks littered the road's surface. They had to move slowly to navigate around them as well as the chunks of collapsed ceiling that varied in size from crunching beneath their feet to bumping against their knees.

Something moaned from behind a pick up truck, and they looked warily to one another.

Gordon spoke in a quiet murmur. "Did you-"

Another noise, this one a grunt from behind one of many pillars that ran down the middle of the tunnel, separating the road.

Alyx brought her pistol up as a zombie emerged from behind the pickup, growling and moaning as it pulled itself up. She opened fire while Gordon looked for something to throw with the Gravity Gun. Another zombie lumbered around from behind a pillar just ahead of them.

Spotting a fuel canister beside a derelict car, Gordon pulled it towards him with the Gravity Gun. He could hear the liquid sloshing about inside. Aiming it at the zombie, he fired, the charge puncturing the canister, igniting the fuel and spraying a fine shower of fire onto the zombie.

The zombie at the pick-up truck was down, and Alyx turned her gun on Gordon's burning, screaming zombie. Its arms up in the air, it lumbered towards Alyx in one last ditch attempt at killing something before it fell. She backed up a few steps and watched it collapse to the ground with a low growl.

She waved a hand around in front of her nose. "Zom-B-Q… doesn't smell good."

Gordon wrinkled his nose and nodded in agreement. The smell of cooking rotted meat was never something he imagined he would sample. It certainly provided a stark contrast to the dusty, industrial smell of the tunnel. He tried not to enjoy the warmth provided by the flaming zombie as they passed it by.

They walked for a few minutes longer, coming across and dispatching the occasional zombie and/or headcrab before reaching a doorway in the right-hand wall. Gordon moved around to get a look inside first. The corridor didn't go very far before it came up against a locked door. After a cursory look down the other end of the corridor, Gordon ventured inside.

There was an alcove on the right just before the door where some lockers had been left to stand, the doors swinging open and revealing little of value inside. The door itself was locked. A window in the wall beside the door revealed a room beyond, though the reflection of flashlight on the glass obscured their view a little.

"I think I can see a power box in there," Alyx observed, a hand on his shoulder as she tried to see inside.

He looked up at her questioningly, and she pointed to the door handle, and the device attached to it.

"It needs electricity to open."

"Ah," he grunted, before standing up and looking around for another way through. Casting his gaze into the alcove, he saw a vent cover at the bottom of the wall, beside the lockers. With a deep breath of resignation, Gordon knelt down and wrenched it free, tossing it aside.

"Hey, an air duct," Alyx said, sounding far more amused than Gordon thought was reasonable. "I've heard stories about you and air ducts."

Gordon paused, and he felt his eyebrow tilt up in anticipation of the lies Barney had told her.

"Dr Kleiner says whenever he locked himself out of his office, you and Barney used to compete to see who could get in fastest without using a key."

That actually sounded about right. Gordon shrugged, nodded, and then started to crawl. Before he disappeared, he brought his head back out again.

"Did he tell you who won?"

There was a pause while Alyx thought about it. "Barney says it was him, usually."

Sighing, Gordon moved back into the air vent. "I'm sure he did…"

The metal of the ventilation shaft popped and grunted with each awkward shuffle of his body. Oh, how he had missed this.

Oh, wait. No he hadn't.

The crawl probably didn't take that long, but it certainly felt like it to him. It took him up, back and around until-

The vent suddenly disappeared beneath him, and he found himself sitting in front of an amused rather than surprised Alyx.

"Oh, back so soon?"

Without a word and very grateful Alyx couldn't see just how red his cheeks were, he crawled back into the vent, avoiding the old route. Eventually, he came to a vent cover beneath him that he was fairly sure was over the next room. He blasted the cover off and dropped down.

He stretched as he wandered around the room, feeling happy just to be able to move again. A pistol resting on a shelf on the far side of the room caught his attention, and he snatched it up greedily. There was a box on the floor beside it with ammunition, and he loaded it up. He couldn't find anything that could act as a holster, so he resolved just to hold it for now.

Exploring the other end of the room, he found the door where Alyx waited patiently on the other side. She waved to him through the window, and he returned the gesture. On the right was a doorway blocked by what looked like an overturned car. Opposite that, just where Alyx had spotted it, was the power box. Gordon flicked off the latch and opened the cover. He pulled up the small switch in the middle, and green lights faded into being.

The lights from the ceiling fizzled into life above him, and he squinted as he turned off the flashlight. Alyx opened the door and came through, nodding appreciatively.

"There you are. I thought you might have forgotten about me." She didn't seem to catch the incredulous look he gave her, instead focusing on the weapon in his hand. "Hey, and you found a gun!" He held it out to her, and, confused, she slowly took it off him. "Don't you want it?"

He turned to the overturned car in the doorway with the Gravity Gun held high. Gordon blasted it several times, first just to topple it over, then to clear a way through for them. Letting the Gravity Gun drop down to his side, Gordon opened his hand to receive the gun.

Alyx smiled and shook her head as she pressed the gun into his hand. "Smartass…"

She went ahead of him through the doorway, and Gordon couldn't help the smirk as he followed, switching on his flashlight again.

As they continued along the tunnel, the occasional moans and grunts of the zombies were accompanied by a familiar buzzing and clicking. Then, as they navigated their way around an ancient over-spilt oil tanker, they saw one of the dead creatures, yellow blood splayed on the concrete around it.

"Antlions here?" Alyx asked curiously.

Gordon prodded it with the tip of his boot to be sure it was dead before moving past, hand clutching the pistol a little tighter as he checked the coming area. In the distance, close enough to hear but far enough away to be unaware of them, packs of zombies and antlions slashed and swiped at each other - a vicious battle of warped nature.

Alyx came up beside him to get a better view via his flashlight. "The Combine's defence field must have collapsed…" she mused. "Makes sense, if it was powered by the Citadel."

"We should try and slip past," he said quietly, keeping his eyes on the fight that sprayed blood across the walls on the other side of the tunnel.

Avoiding them wasn't too difficult; there were enough derelict cars and vans that they managed to run from one piece of cover to the next pretty seamlessly. Even once they were a safe distance away, Gordon still kept his pistol on the brawling creatures, backing up along the tunnel.

That was why he didn't know about the wall of metal behind him until he had bumped into it headfirst.

"Ow," he grunted, hissing as he rubbed the back of his head.

Visibly trying to hold her laughter in, Alyx turned him around so the flashlight was on the wall.

"Looks like we've found a troop train," she said, taking Gordon's attention away from the growing bump on his head. He looked up at the wall, and saw it wasn't a wall at all. The train car had collapsed in through the ceiling, creating a blockade between them and the rest of the tunnel.

Luckily (though Gordon still doubted how correct that word was in these situations) the door was open. There was light coming from inside, so Gordon switched his flashlight off. He could just make out Alyx's face in the pale Combine light. With a cautious smile, Gordon gestured for Alyx to go first.

"Oh, ladies first, huh? Thanks," she mocked, stepping up into the train. She stopped before going inside, looking down at him suspiciously. "Is this because I laughed at you back at the Citadel?"

"Don't know what you're talking about," he mumbled, hopping up to join her.

Alyx just smiled knowingly as she walked further down the train. Gordon followed, looking around. The train was empty, the empty benches running down both sides of the transport the only indication that anyone had been in here. Or at least, that anyone was _supposed _to be in here. It could have been an empty train.

Absorbed in his thoughts, Gordon bumped into Alyx's suddenly still form, his glasses bouncing to the tip of his nose. Pushing them back up and blinking, he saw that she had stopped to study something further down the train.

"What the hell is that?"

She took off towards whatever it was, and Gordon followed, trying to see around her. Halfway down the train, resting against a glass wall segregating the two sections of the train (for different ranks, maybe?), was a Combine soldier with a headcrab cosily nestled on his head. The gloves had burst to make room for the spindly clawed hands, and a fine trickle of blood dribbled down from beneath the headcrab, down onto his body armour.

Alyx studied it intently, arms folded in thought. "Hm. A Combine zombie. That's like a, uh, um… a zombine." She looked at him, laughing a little. "Right? zombine, get it?"

He stared at her, and for the first time in their entire relationship, Gordon found himself feeling a little disappointed. Just a little. Because, even though he wasn't known for his sense of humour… that joke was terrible. Just… awful. And he was friends with Barney, so he _knew _bad jokes.

Thankfully, Alyx seemed to sense this, and tucked an embarrassed strand of hair behind her ear, avoiding his gaze.

"O-kay," she muttered to herself, almost inaudibly.

Gordon pointed to the glass. "Shall we, uh…"

"Yeah, probably a good…" Something caught her eye on the other side, and she leant forward to more thoroughly inspect it. "…idea…"

It was another zombine, this one clambering to its' feet. Both Gordon and Alyx brought up their pistols, and could only watch as the zombine reached behind its' back and yanked a grenade from its' belt. It ran towards them, rotting legs limping under the weight of its' armour.

"Look out! It's got a grenade!"

They both turned and ran to the other end of the train, turning to watch the zombine bonk its' head against the glass. It cast a bewildered (as bewildered as a blank headcrab could appear, anyway) look up at the glass before the grenade exploded, glass bursting out at them. Gordon stepped in front of Alyx, letting his HEV suit take the brunt of the shards and putting his arm up to protect his head. The suit beeped and informed him about minor lacerations. Exploding glass was minor, apparently.

Smoke billowed out around them. Alyx put a hand on his arm and slipped around him. "Thanks," she said offhandedly, leading the way.

Taking a moment to wonder if he had offended her by protecting her that way, Gordon noticed that Alyx was at the doorway at the other end of the train and was venturing out into the tunnel.

He lightly jogged to catch up, slapping the flashlight button as he went. Alyx spread out to the other side of the tunnel, ducking her head back and forth as though looking for something.

"Gordon," she whispered, pointing a finger down the tunnel.

Moving parallel with her, Gordon moved to a derelict car in front of him, standing beside the engine. He shone the flashlight over and on to a sleeping zombine. It grumbled beneath the light and stumbled to its feet.

Gordon looked over to Alyx as a chorus of zombie moans and cries echoed from down the corridor.

"Probably wasn't the best idea to wake them up," he said. She gave him a sarcastic 'thank you' look before returning her attention to the coming hordes.

He brought up his own pistol, only to be greeted by a fast zombie leaping at him over the car. He fired before it reached him, blasting the spindly headcrab from its shoulders. A squad of the normal variety of zombies (if there was such a thing) lurched towards Alyx, each one taken out with precision aim.

A garbled snarl attracted his attention, and a zombine charged out of the darkness, swiping at him as he brought up his gun. The pistol went flying away. Gordon ducked what he thought was another slash at his head, only for the zombine to pull out a grenade and hold it over his head.

It beeped ominously as Gordon whirled the Gravity Gun around. Sidestepping around the zombine, he yanked the grenade towards him. Alyx looked over, her eyes widening at the zombine now behind him.

They cried out to each other at the same time.

"Alyx, back-"

"Gordon, down-"

Gordon ducked and fired the grenade at the gang of zombies in front of Alyx, just as she leapt back and fired at the zombine behind him, blasting holes in the headcrab and sending it tumbling back to the ground. The grenade exploded, throwing zombie parts all around the tunnel.

A little shell-shocked, Gordon remained frozen in his crouching position for a few moments, looking to Alyx breathlessly.

"Good job, Gordon," she said appreciatively.

He adjusted his glasses as he clambered to his feet, dusting himself off without thinking. Looking down at the general dirt and grime covering it, he grumbled in the back of his throat and walked over to her, scooping up his pistol as he went. She was looking at him expectantly, and he had to stare at her for a few moments before catching on.

"Oh!" He cleared his throat. "I, uh… you too."

Somehow, she managed to laugh and look slightly exasperated at the same time as she moved on, walking around an overturned van and leaving him in the dark. He shook his head at the mental pun before following.

Another doorway led them to a staircase. Dim light filtered in from somewhere above, and Gordon felt it was safe to switch off the flashlight. Alyx turned the corner before him and promptly yelped, back-pedalling and firing frantically at something out of sight. Whatever it was, it squealed and whined as the bullets ripped through it. Finally, looking thoroughly irritated, she stamped on it. There was a squelch of yellow blood that left a sticky mark on her boot as she stepped back.

After staring back at her for a moment, Gordon slowly peeked around the corner, seeing the obliterated remains of a black, hairy, poisonous headcrab.

He looked back to her. She was still breathing heavily.

"I _hate _those things," she huffed, glaring at the headcrab as though daring it to come back to life.

He glanced to the headcrab, then back to her. "I, uh… me too," he said cautiously, slowly.

Looking completely justified in her reaction, Alyx continued up the stairs as though nothing had happened. The steps led up to a corridor, light pouring in through a series of thick windows on the left wall. As they moved along, Gordon could make out the bottom floor of a multi-storey car park through the grimy windows. Three floors, from what he could see through the immense holes in the levels above, having seemingly collapsed under their own weight.

He could also make out zombines and zombies slumbering against pillars and cars. Reminded him of a couple of parties back in college he had been invited to and never enjoyed. Of course, they hadn't particularly enjoyed his being there either, especially considering he always ended up mixing drinks and foods and certain herbs together to prove a point about chemical reactions in humid, closed off, unventilated rooms.

Alyx stopped at the entrance to the car park. Somewhere in the distance, a generator hummed, still struggling away after being left unattended for God knew how long. They exchanged a nod before Alyx took a cautious step out over the threshold, her foot touching down without a sound.

The zombies all grunted simultaneously, lurching to their feet and looking around for the source of the disturbance.

"Oh, come _on_," Alyx groaned to herself, moving into the room with pistol gripped tightly between her hands. Gordon moved swiftly alongside, gun raised.

As they approached, the ground began to rumble in a manner Gordon found worryingly familiar. He suddenly stopped and thrust his open palm out towards Alyx. Spotting the gesture, she stopped, glancing nervously between the stumbling zombies and him.

"Uh, Gordon… zombies!" she hissed, nodding urgently towards their incoming guests.

In that moment, the ground in front of Alyx erupted outwards, spurting dust and cement into the air. She stumbled back, shielding her head from the downpour, coughing as she looked up in alarm.

The buzz of antlion wings answered her unspoken question, and the large green insects burst out, heading straight for the zombies, which they obviously perceived as the immediate threat.

As the dust cleared and the battle commenced without them, Gordon looked for a way forward. Alyx waved a hand and pointed upwards.

"Up! Up is good, Gordon!"

He nodded, and they scooted around the pit in front of them. Antlion spores swirled up, and Gordon sneezed. He waved his hand around to clear the air as they went. Alyx reached back and slapped a hand against his shoulder. She pointed at a concrete support beam that had collapsed diagonally down from the floor below.

She started running, and Gordon cast a glance back to see how the fight was going. The zombies were losing quite quickly, overwhelmed by sheer numbers.

"Faster is good too," he called out, quickly following her up the beam, the concrete cracking and puffing dust as they went. They stopped at the next floor, breathlessly looking for their next route. Most of the floor had collapsed away, leaving only the skeletal support beams for them to map a path.

Alyx was ahead of him - which seemed to be the usual sequence of events with these things - and simply jerked her head away and said, "Follow me."

He did so, staring down at his feet to keep his balance. Which, unfortunately, gave him a view of the fight below.

Put simply, there wasn't one. Zombie parts were strewn about the floor, blood and headcrabs decorating the walls.

The antlions turned their attention to their other intruders and flew up towards them, wings buzzing menacingly as they shot up into the air. After pausing in the air for a moment, they swooped back down at them, teeth and claws bared. Alyx shot several in mid-flight, aiming for the wings and sending them awkwardly tumbling to the ground. Gordon watched them crawl out of the burrow below en masse. There would be too many of them to handle at this rate.

Stopping, he searched around the bottom floor, finally finding what he needed tucked away in the far right corner. He turned and started running back the way they came.

"Gordon!" Alyx cried.

He turned and pointed upwards. "Keep going!"

Frustrated but distracted by incoming antlions, Alyx set her jaw and resumed running. He didn't see where, just that more and more antlions followed her, disappearing out of his sight. Not that he was being ignored, however. Oh, no, antlions were attentive hosts.

On his way down the collapsed beam, he ducked one charging antlion and weaved his way around another. The next slammed into him full force, throwing him back and against a pile of rubble. It scuttled over with two claws raised. Gordon kicked down, smashing his boot against the antlions' head before rolling off to the side and scrambling to his feet. Slowly backing around the gathered antlions stalking towards him, Gordon whirled on his heel and ran for the far corner.

He heard Alyx's gun firing away from somewhere above, and more antlions emerged from the pit to replace those she was killing.

Gordon reached his destination as another antlion came at him from the side, slashing down with its' claw as it flew by. He caught the strike across his cheek, throwing flecks of blood against the floor and sending him slipping to the ground on his backside. Ignoring the warm blood trickling down his cheek, Gordon clambered up on top of the car he had been heading for.

He tossed his pistol away and pressed his back into the corner of the wall, Gravity Gun pointed down at the car. The antlion that had struck him came for him again, and Gordon pressed the charge button in a panic. Yellow energy struck the insect creature dead centre, throwing it away and onto its back, kicking and thrashing frantically. Gordon looked down at the Gravity Gun, grunting in surprise.

Shaking it off, Gordon continued blasting the car beneath him, eventually dislodging it from the corner. Continuing towards the burrow on the other side of the parking lot, Gordon blasted the car again and again, stopping occasionally to dodge an antlion attack and deter them with a blast from the Gravity Gun.

Finally, the car was at the pit, and he blasted it around at an angle so the front end dipped down into it. Antlions angrily hissed and clanged against the car from below. Letting out a breath of relief, Gordon realised there were still antlions _above_ ground waiting to kill him, and ran for his pistol. Two antlions stood in his way, and he dove over them, grabbing the pistol as he rolled on the ground. That done, he whirled on the spot and managed to dispose of them rather neatly, one or two shots for each antlions' head.

There was silence above. Concerned, Gordon hefted himself to his feet, keeping his gaze upwards as he tried to get a better view.

"Alyx?" he tested, unsure.

After a heart-stopping silence, Alyx's head popped out from a ledge two floors up. "Ah, that's better. I can hear myself think." Her head tipped down to look at the car. "Good idea, Gordon. I wouldn't have thought you could plug up the burrow that way."

He shrugged and pushed up his glasses.

Alyx laughed, and waved him up. "Come on, there's a gate up here. We've gotta be close by now, right?"

With a sigh and a nod, Gordon headed for the fallen support beam. Once on the first floor, he slowly managed to navigate his way around the maze of concrete beams and collapsed sections of floor. When he made a wrong turn and had to double back, he tried not to notice how impatient Alyx was looking. Finally, though, he _did _reach her, and smiled proudly. Any other time, any other place, that sort of activity would have left him royally stumped, so he allowed himself some self-satisfaction.

Alyx was waiting for him behind a thick metal gate, its surface a metallic grid offering them a slightly obscured view of the other side. Though the ceiling had collapsed onto the road, there was a doorway on the right, leading to a worryingly dark corridor. There was an orange crank wheel planted in the wall beside the gate. Gun tucked under his arm, Gordon started turning. He was keenly aware of Alyx's presence during this display of manliness, and did his best not to grunt or show any sign of effort on his part.

He didn't succeed, and was fairly sure he had the appearance of someone about to die from exhaustion by the time he was done. Breathless, Gordon gestured for her to go first. She moved through without comment.

Gordon sighed and followed.

The corridor didn't go far, leading to two double doors on the right. Going through on the count of three, they emerged out into pitch darkness. He switched on the flashlight. It was a bare room, echoing and unnerving as they moved forward.

"Please let there be a way to the surface…" Alyx said, a mental rather than physical tiredness straining through her voice.

The halo of the flashlight stretched out far ahead of them, and Gordon spotted something. Something _good_.

He pointed a pleased finger ahead.

Alyx followed the gesture and gasped, taking off at a surprising speed. Gordon stumbled as caught up, keeping mindful of his feet in the darkness.

"I don't believe it, an _actual _elevator!" Alyx marvelled, wrapping a hand around the metal grating in front of the shaft. She peered up, looking for the elevator itself. She smiled at him as he caught up. "I would've settled for stairs!"

With that, she turned and pressed the button. The elevator hummed reassuringly, and Gordon allowed his shoulder to slump. Maybe he could relax, just for a-

Lights within the elevator shaft flickered, and the panel sparked and sputtered. The hum from the elevator wobbled precariously before dying out completely. Engulfed in silence, Alyx and Gordon looked at each other, exasperated.

"You have _got _to be kidding," she groaned. With a resigned sigh, she looked to the sparking button and followed the cable that ran from it, trailing up the wall and dangling from ceiling. "Follow the cable, I guess."

He couldn't resist one last mournful glance at the elevator shaft before nodding, moving slowly with Alyx through the darkness. The flashlight illuminated several areas segregated by chain linked fences. What was this place used for?

The cable led them towards a small room, probably a supply closet. Inside, along with a small crate of emergency flares, was the power box they were looking for. Gordon swung it open and flicked the switches inside. The elevator thrummed back to life from the other side of the room.

"The elevator's moving again," Alyx said from the doorway. A zombie cried out from somewhere in the void. "And here comes trouble."

Putting her gun away for the moment, Alyx scooped up a plank of wood from outside and backed into the room with him. She slammed the doors shut, sliding the wood through the handles. She backed up to the wall and pulled out her gun.

"Should hold them until the elevator gets here," she explained. After a moment's thought, Alyx smiled humourlessly. "_Might _hold them."

Nodding his agreement, Gordon scooped up a flare. He inspected it for a moment and saw the string at the top. Giving it a sharp tug, he winced at the brilliant red light that… well, _flared_ into life. Tossing the flare to the ground, he switched off his flashlight.

Alyx looked at him questioningly.

"Saves the battery," he offered, and she nodded with a quiet 'ah'.

The elevator still hummed, and he could hear the different growls of the approaching zombies. Whether they were coming straight to them or wandering aimlessly, Gordon couldn't tell. He'd find out soon enough, he supposed. For the moment, however, he enjoyed finally, _finally_, sitting down against the wall. The only time he had spent off his feet since waking up in that rubble had been either in a flying van or from having fallen over.

So, inevitably, he couldn't contain the groan of pleasure as he relaxed to the floor, back pressed against the wall.

"Feels good, huh?"

He opened his eyes to see Alyx mimicking his position. He nodded, sighing contentedly.

It was only then that he realised just how much sweat had gathered on his face and the very top of his neck. He tried not to think about the smell his body was producing beneath the HEV suit at the moment. The day he took this thing off would be a danger to all of mankind. Plants would probably wither and die.

Shifting uncomfortably, Gordon wiped the back of his hand against his head, taking some of the sweat with it.

Alyx laughed, and he looked over questioningly.

"You've…" she pointed a finger at her forehead, waving it around a little. "It's, uh…" She sighed and licked her thumb. "Oh, come here…"

Making him very nervous, Alyx shuffled over, brandishing her thumb like a weapon. He waved his hand about frantically.

"No, that's fine, I don't-"

"Gordon, the HEV suit is filthy, and now it's on your face. You look ridiculous, just let me-"

"I'm okay, it's not-"

"Look, just-"

"I don't-"

Too late. The thumb was on his forehead, scrubbing away. Defeated, Gordon let out an indignant huff. This only prompted a smile from Alyx, which left his mood just that little bit lower. He was the One Free Man. He didn't need his face cleaning.

"Oh, stop _squirming_," she tutted. "Would you really want to show up topside with a splotch of black dirt on your head?"

"I wouldn't mind," he mumbled, arms folded.

She laughed quietly. "Y'know, Dad said that Mom used to do this to me, too. I was as quiet as a mouse, though. Apparently I would just stare at this thing," she tapped a small, box-like jewel hanging from a black thread around her neck. "I was always trying to grab it. Dad said… he said I was holding it when he found me."

Gordon looked up at her after that comment, watching as the look of sadness was blocked out by concentration on removing the last patch of dirt from his forehead.

"All done," she said, satisfied. "See? Wasn't so bad. The Opener of the Way is presentable again." She looked up suddenly, staring at the doors. "Can you hear that? Elevator must have arrived."

He pushed himself to his feet and moved to one side of the doors, and Alyx to the other. They looked at each other, ready for the count of three that would signal their entry into zombie territory. But under the red light of the flare, Gordon noticed something new, something he hadn't seen before.

"Did you…" stared at her hair intently, and she frowned, smiling unsurely.

"What?"

"Your hair. There's some… red." He pointed, as if that would clarify the matter for her. "Right there."

With a self-conscious smile, Alyx brought her hand up to the sliver of red that ran up the middle of her hairline, just at the front. "Uh, yeah… I've… always had that."

"Oh. I mean, I think I noticed it before, I just, um…" he nodded to the flare fizzling away beside them. "With the light, it uh…" His face heating up in a manner that had nothing to do with the flare, Gordon cleared his throat. "It's good, I mean…" His gaze plunged down to the pistol in his hand, then fixed on the doors. "…I like it."

Alyx was silent. The flare was deafening. Gordon didn't dare look at her. What a stupid thing to say. Stupid and dumb. Dumb, dumb, dumb.

"Thanks, Gordon."

His gaze whipped up to her. She was just smiling at him fondly. Intent on not ruining the moment, Gordon just shrugged, offering a smile of his own.

"Ready?" she cut in, visibly steeling herself.

Gordon pulled the Gravity Gun and pointed it at the doors. "Nope."

He fired, blasting the doors from their hinges and flattening the two zombies that were stood directly in front of them. Pistols drawn, Gordon and Alyx started running. Gordon switched on the flashlight as they ran, illuminating a zombine charging at them from the side.

It barrelled into him, knocking him off his feet and rolling along the ground. Looking up, he saw the zombine latch onto Alyx by the shoulders. Fear gripping him, he scrambled to his feet with pistol aimed at the headcrab-

And watched as Alyx knocked the zombine's arms from her, following it up with a knee to the groin and an elbow to the headcrab. She finished up with a barrage of gunfire, tearing through the alien creature nestled on the Combine soldier's head. Gordon stared at her in amazement, and she looked at him innocently.

"What?"

The screech of a fast zombie interrupted them, hurtling towards him. Gordon fell onto his back and shot the creature through the chest as it flew overhead. Following its course with his gun, he fired another shot lying on his back that blasted through the headcrab, and the zombie crumpled to the floor.

Gordon scrambled to his feet and ran to catch up with Alyx, who had resumed her run for the elevator. The gate in front of the elevator had opened, leaving it tantalisingly open for them. She reached it before him, practically diving inside. Zombies clustered around the entrance, all facing towards him. He stopped just short of a zombie's swinging claw which knocked the pistol from his grasp and into the darkness. Deciding to leave it behind, he darted off to the right and swerved around the group, slipping through a gap and into the elevator.

Alyx slammed her fist against the button, and the gate closed. They shared a relieved breath, and Gordon almost felt himself relax when something wrapped around his leg, yanking him to the floor. Looking down, he saw a zombine's claw latched around his ankle, pulling it through the gate and holding steadfast as the elevator rose.

"This is gonna hurt, Gordon!" Alyx announced, pointing her pistol down at the clawed hand and firing a spray of shots. Most hit the zombine's hand, though one or two did hit his leg pretty hard. He pulled his leg up as fast as he could, his toe skimming the concrete of the elevator shaft as they left the underground hell-hole.

Kneeling down beside him with a hand on his shoulder, Alyx let out a small breath of a laugh. "That… was close."

Eyes wide, he adjusted his glasses and nodded. They both got to their feet, resting against the sides of the elevator as they watched the various floors go by from the comforting safety of their metal box.

One floor was empty, the black and white checked floor reminding Gordon of the kitchen section of the office complex back at Black Mesa. At another floor, a zombie slammed its fists against the metal gate, roaring and moaning at the futility of it all. At the next, an antlion dragged the dead body of a civilian into the darkness of the corridor beyond.

"Oh, my God…" Alyx said, her voice just above a whisper. "The city is really falling apart…" She looked at him, and said with no small amount of worry, "I hope it's still light out."

He nodded solemnly. Gordon had had just about enough of dark corridors and surprise zombies, thank you very much. Hopefully, with the Combine retreating from the Citadel, they wouldn't want to bother them anymore and everything would go so much smoother from here on out.

Gordon silently berated himself. Why did he torture himself with these thoughts?

* * *

(A/N: Alyx's dialogue about the Stalkers was taken from the _Episode One _sound files. I remember hearing about it on the commentary and thinking I'd be able to use it here. And I admit that I owe a debt to Pisces for providing the inspiration for Gordon and Alyx hiding out in the closet.

Also, if you haven't searched for 'I'm the Freeman' on youtube yet… I highly recommend it. After reviewing, of course. :)

_Next Chapter: Urban Flight)_


	4. Urban Flight

Disclaimer: I don't own _Half-Life._

_**Aftermath**_

_**Chapter Four: Urban Flight**_

The elevator clanged to a halt on what Gordon presumed was the top floor, and the gate slid open. It looked like the entrance to an underground train station. Combine propaganda posters littered the walls, Dr Breen's domineering visage plastered across as many surfaces as possible. Old newspapers, food cartons and boxes were strewn about the floor. It was a miracle that the only thing Gordon could smell was something like stale bread.

Alyx left the elevator ahead of him and headed off to the right. Following, Gordon walked with her to a gate before a stairway.

"Thank God, it's still day," she sighed gratefully.

Looking through, Gordon could see bright, greyish skies above, though the clouds were taking on a pale, sickly colour. It _was _nice to see the sky again, though.

"Let's get out of here," Alyx prodded, and Gordon blinked himself out of his reverie. There was a wheel attached to the wall beside the gate, and Gordon got to work.

As he worked, he could make out a voice echoing from above, static crackling on certain words like a speaker with the volume set too high. Dr Kleiner. Though it was good to hear his voice again, Gordon was confused as to why he exactly he _could_.

"…_if you find yourself still within the confines of City 17, you're well advised to leave the city at once by the fastest means available to you. We have restored service to much of the commuter transport system in order to carry citizens out of the city as quickly as possible. We have also established camps and triage areas in the surrounding environ. I repeat, you must evacuate the city at once. While there was certainly…"_

Gordon tuned it out as the gate finally opened. Alyx ran up the steps and out into the open air.

"Finally, fresh air…" Her words died as Gordon came up behind her. And he could see why. The landscape ahead of them had been torn apart. Buildings were flattened, shattered and left in pieces around the impressively distant Citadel. That train had really taken them far. A Strider thumped its way past in the distance, looking a little aimless.

"Oh my God," Alyx gasped. "The Striders really tore the hell out of this place."

The destruction of the city only reached to the vista in front of them. As though an invisible line had been drawn, the buildings around and behind them were secure, awaiting destruction.

Dr Kleiner's voice faded back in again, and they both looked up to one of the huge monitors erected high above them, usually reserved for Dr Breen's smug visage. It was now Dr Kleiner's nervous torso that occupied the screen, awkwardly gesturing and adjusting his glasses between every sentence.

"…_I repeat, evacuate City 17 at once, if not sooner. I cannot state this without enough undue emphasis. On a lighter note, if you are already in one of our…"_

"I've never been happier to see Dr Kleiner," Alyx beamed, and Gordon nodded with a smile.

An ominous rumble from the Citadel drew their attention back to the task at hand. Alyx nodded her head towards the part of the city that remained standing.

"Okay, let's get to the train yard before the Citadel blows."

They moved around the subway stairwell and towards an alleyway behind a block of buildings. Sheets of corrugated metal had been nailed to the rudimentary wooden frame in front of the alleyway. The Gravity Gun took care of them fairly quickly, though pulling away one of the top sheets revealed two scanners, floating a frustrating distance away from them.

Alyx fired on the scanner on the left while Gordon pulled the right towards him, firing it into the wall beside him. Job done, Alyx moved to the smoking heap she had been firing upon, poking it with her boot.

"They're looking for something. Probably us."

Moving on around the corner and following the wide alleyway, Gordon struggled to see over the steps leading to a door on the right-hand wall. They approached the steps, side-stepping around a collection of barrels and trash cans spilling out of an alcove on the right.

Alyx suddenly pointed to sky ahead. "From the rooftops," she announced, and Gordon shot his gaze skyward.

Two soldiers further down the alleyway were rappelling down the side of the building, semi-automatics at the ready. A third soldier rappelled right down on top of him, turning just before he hit the ground and kicking Gordon in the chest, knocking him onto his back.

He faintly noticed Alyx diving into the alcove, taking cover among the barrels and trash cans as she took on the approaching soldiers down the alley. At the moment, however, his concentration was focused on bringing the Gravity Gun around and firing it at the soldier's machinegun before he had an opportunity to pull the trigger.

He half succeeded. The soldier managed to fire off a few shots, hitting Gordon in the chest and shoulder as he blasted the machinegun from his hand, tossing it over the soldier's head. Doing his best to ignore the gunshots coming from both Alyx and the encroaching soldiers, Gordon swung his legs through his opponent's, who toppled onto his side with a garbed grunt.

Suddenly wishing for his crowbar, Gordon heaved the Gravity Gun upward, pointing it at a used gas canister behind Alyx. Yanking it towards him, he swung it around and into the rising soldier's face. He froze, either puzzled or just shocked. Whichever it was, he was dead because of it. Gordon fired, the canister colliding with the soldier's head with a nauseating crunch. His head whipped back and collided with the wall before he slumped to the ground.

Gordon looked back at Alyx in time to see a grenade land on the ground between them, beeping ominously. He snatched it up with the Gravity Gun and fired it back in the direction it came from, seamlessly grabbing a barrel afterwards. Striding into the explosion with a new confidence and with Alyx by his side (he considered for a moment that the two could be linked), Gordon found the first soldier and crushed him into the wall with the barrel. Alyx had followed and quickly disposed of the second.

"Whew," Alyx gasped, and looked down to the dead bodies at their feet, troubled. "I was hoping we'd get a bit farther before they noticed us again."

He picked up a machinegun from the Combine closest to him. "Which way?"

Getting her bearings, Alyx looked up and down the alleyway before pointing down the alley.

"Uh… that way," she said, not sounding particularly sure of herself.

Gordon just shrugged and followed. As they got closer to the end, Gordon noticed the wall at the end was the same as those he had seen at Nova Prospekt and at the base of the Citadel; the Combine wall made of metallic teeth that gradually ate through everything in its path. The difference being that now it was retreating, as though realising that the Combine's hold on the city was at an end, and deciding it didn't want to be around to see how it would finish.

Groaning and creaking like thunder, the teeth moved back, opening up a path around a building on the right. The cloud of dust it kicked up obscured their view of what was ahead. They came out at the remains of a small roundabout, cars left to rust and rot against the surrounding buildings. Ant-lions were burrowing out from several points along the road ahead, distracting the soldiers that had been posted on the street.

They took cover behind a car, peeking through the now empty windows.

"So… run for it, let them kill each other?" he suggested.

She nodded. "I sure as hell don't have enough bullets."

Gordon blew out a grateful breath. "Just like Black Mesa."

That elicited a small laugh from her. "I guess so."

It was the same as always. A silent countdown from three to one, and away they went, running, jumping, ducking, whacking and only very occasionally shooting. They managed to struggle their way into a derelict building on the right, the road ahead blocked off by a building on the left that had collapsed.

They slipped up a stairwell that brought them out into a bare room, the windows shattered and the top left corner of the ceiling all but gone. The groan of zombies elicited much the same reaction from Gordon and Alyx, and they looked at each other tiredly. Then they heard the tell-tale beep and squeal of a rollermine, and shared a smile.

With the Gravity Gun, it was simple enough to pull the two rollermines - once they had despatched the zombies, of course - towards them and let them loose, rolling ahead of them like over-excited dogs on a walk.

As they reached a stairway going down that sat opposite the missing windows, Gordon saw a familiar blue laser taking aim at Alyx's head. He grabbed her roughly by the shoulders and forced her to the steps. She looked irritated for only a moment, quickly noticing the wandering blue laser above their heads. Snipers. They crawled the rest of the way, emerging cautiously into the room below.

A doorway at the other end of the room led out into the street that, inevitably, the sniper had a perfect view of.

Gordon ran over to the wall beside the doorway and cautiously put his hand out into the open. It was greeted by not only the solitary bang of the sniper rifle, but the angry thunder of a mounted machinegun. One of the bullets managed to hit his hand, and he snatched it away quickly. He hissed as he flexed and shook it in front of his face.

He noticed Alyx smiling and shaking her head. "Only person I know who can take a bullet and make it look like a bee sting…"

"Well," he offered defensively, "it stings."

"What does it feel like? Being shot in that thing?"

"Depends how much power it has." He thought about it a moment. "But it's… have you ever been paintballing?"

She gave him a patronising look, which, on reflection, he realised he deserved. "No, I missed the paintballing part of the Combine family vacation package."

"Good point," he conceded quietly.

Without another word, he dove out into the street and prayed there would be cover. He found it in the form of a pick up truck, and dove down behind it just as a shower of bullets blasted into the metal frame. Leaning against the wheel, he was about to take a peek round the corner when something bumped against his leg. He whirled around, machinegun at the ready. It was the two rollermines, nudging his leg like nagging children.

Gordon smiled.

He fired one over the truck, in the vague direction of the mounted machinegun at the far end of the alley. After a patient wait of about twenty seconds, he heard an electric crackle and the loud grunt of a Combine soldier being dispatched. Gordon peeked over the top of the truck and looked for the blue laser. It was coming from an open window above the alcove the mounted machinegun had been set up in. Comfortingly, it wasn't too far away.

Snatching up the second rollermine, Gordon leapt out and onto the ground, landing on his side with Gravity Gun raised. The blue laser of the sniper rifle came down to bear on his head, and he fired. It travelled in a wide arc through the air, distracting the sniper long enough for it to land inside the building.

There was a bright yellow flash, and a Combine soldier came flying out, roughly landing just a few metres in front of Gordon. Letting his shoulders slump, Gordon slowly got to his feet. He wandered back to behind the pick-up truck to fetch his machinegun as Alyx came over.

"Nice toss, Gordon."

He patted the Gravity Gun. "It's all in the wrist."

Alyx looked at him sideways like he was crazy. "Was that a joke?"

"Uh…" He cast his gaze over her shoulder, giving it serious thought. "Yeah, think so."

"Oh." She gave him a thumbs up. "Nice one. But… next time you're planning on jumping into the path of a sniper rifle? Be nice to have some warning."

He frowned, genuinely puzzled. "But… it's just me doing it."

She sighed and patted his arm. "Not anymore, Gordon. We're in this together, remember? Ringing any bells in there?"

Still not understanding, Gordon shrugged. "I'll tell you next time."

Alyx stared at him for a few moments while the distant rollermines bleeped faster and faster, signalling their overload.

"You still don't get it, do you?"

The rollermines exploded, masking Gordon's sigh.

"Not at all."

Hands on hips, she shook her head exasperatedly. "Okay, uh… ah, I got it. How would you feel if I did the same thing to you?"

Gordon felt that same frown return, irritated at his own lack of comprehension. "But you don't have a HEV suit. You could die out there…" The words faded away, and his mouth formed a big 'oh' of comprehension. "… you're worried about me."

"Well… yeah," she said plainly, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. The 'Gordon is crazy' look was back again. "Did that seriously not occur to you?"

He shrugged. "Never thought about it."

He really hadn't. Most of the time people just pointed him in a direction and said 'Go, Freeman'. His personal safety never seemed to factor in to other people's views of him.

Alyx was still giving him the crazy look, though she almost seemed a little sad as she smiled at him. "Well… think about it from now on, okay?"

Gordon did a little salute with his machinegun. "Okay."

The strange expression still lingering, Alyx took a look around the immediate area before her eyes settled on a window at a right angle from the one the sniper had been settled in.

"Let me climb up and take a look at what we're walking into."

While she did just that, confidently clambering up wooden beams and drain pipes, Gordon surveyed the area himself. The entrance to the road was blocked off the way they came by more rubble and debris. A wooden wall had been hastily erected between the building on Gordon's right and the one the sniper had used. The fire escape from the building on the right stretched down and would have been a way for them to cross over the wall. The ladder, however, was still locked at the top, and much too high for him to do anything about.

Alyx, meanwhile, had entered the building and was looking out to the street beyond, over the wall.

"Uh-oh… they've got the street fortified up ahead." She disappeared into the building, and he saw he move into the sniper's room, take the rifle, and heft it back to the other window. He saw the tip of the rifle poke out, blue laser stretching out and over the wall.

Her bodiless voice echoed out. "You run point, okay? I'll cover you until you reach the far end. When the coast is clear I'll catch up."

He glanced back and forth between the window and the ladder, jabbing a vague finger in its direction.

"Could, you, uh…?"

"Oh! Okay, looks like I can get that ladder down to you. Let me shoot out the latch. Just bear with me, I might be a little rusty with this rifle."

There was a resounding bang, and Gordon had to fight the instinct to duck. The bullet hit the latch at the top of the ladder with a metallic clang, and it plunged down before jolting to a stop just low enough for Gordon to reach.

"Ha!" Alyx cried out. "Nope, guess I'm not."

Gordon walked to the ladder, clamping the machinegun between his teeth as he crouched down, swinging his arms behind his back before he leapt up. His legs kicked about in an embarrassingly wild fashion as he pulled himself up, struggling to clamber up the first few rungs before he could get a foothold.

Mercifully, Alyx didn't say anything. Whether she was being polite or simply had no idea what to say in the face of such unbridled athleticism, Gordon didn't know. Once on the fire escape, Gordon took the machinegun from between his teeth, pulling a face at the dull, metallic taste.

Machinegun fire made him duck his head, and Gordon looked down the street. Ant-lions infested the road, scurrying out of two burrows along the road. They were headed towards a Combine gate that blocked the end of the street, soldiers ducking in and out of cover from the top of the blue metal barricade. Behind the gate was a tall building that Gordon guessed was the way forward.

A makeshift mounted machinegun platform had been erected out of a building on the right, Gordon's view of which was blocked by corrugated sheets of metal. The only reason he knew about it was the shower of bullets blasting into the street below, punching holes in the ant-lions before they had a chance to scurry even a metre from their burrows. He was doing such an efficient job, Gordon was almost reluctant to get rid of him. But, if Gordon was going to make his way to the gate, the soldier would have to go.

Gordon gripped the guardrail of the fire escape and vaulted over, landing uncomfortably hard on his feet and plunging forward, rolling onto his back. He shook off the stiffness in his ankles and grunted to his feet. Machinegun tucked under his arm and Gravity Gun held high, Gordon pulled the sheet of metal directly behind the Combine soldier, revealing him to Alyx. The now welcome blue laser took aim at the back of the soldier's head, which promptly exploded in a cloud of red.

Shifting the machinegun into his hands, Gordon started moving to the gate, ducking in and out from behind the cars left to rot on the sidewalk. The gate was open at the moment, giving the soldiers inside a clearer shot of the ant-lions. A soldier stood atop the gate noticed him and waved to his comrade on the other end. A blue laser and a bullet interrupted him, and quickly moved over to the next soldier, who was looking around in panic and shouting something through his radio. Alyx fired, ridding Gordon of one more soldier.

Not one to overlook an opportunity, Gordon ran for the open gates, leapfrogging over a confused ant-lion and barrelling shoulder first into a Combine soldier. They tumbled into a heap on the floor, Gordon rolling off as quickly as he could, machinegun raised at another soldier behind the barricade. He fired through the soldier's head and neck and kept on rolling, putting distance between him and the quickly recovering soldier he had tackled.

Gordon backed up as the other soldier pointed his weapon at him. They were in a stalemate, and they circled each other slowly. At least, until Gordon manoeuvred the soldier so he was standing in the open gateway. The soldier didn't even see the blue laser aiming for his back. The impact from the bullet sent him tumbling forward, kicking up the slightest cloud of dust as he rolled along.

Blowing out a relieved breath, Gordon quickly reconsidered relaxing when he heard the incoming buzz of ant-lion wings. Tossing the machinegun aside for the moment, Gordon ran out into the road with the Gravity Gun and commenced shoving cars into the two burrows. One was closer to him, tucked away on the right, and was easily blocked. The second was further away, just slightly ahead of the platform the mounted machinegun had been placed on.

As he pushed the closest car across the street, he noticed Alyx leaping from the fire escape to join him. She covered him from incoming ant-lions as he diligently blasted the car over and over again, pushing until it was sinking into the burrow.

There were still more of the insect creatures left over however, and it was a fraught sprint to the gate as they did their best to avoid the panicking ant-lions. It worked pretty well, actually. Gordon blasted them onto their backs with the Gravity Gun, and Alyx finished them off with her pistol. Once through the gate, Alyx quickly doubled back to a console beside the open doors and slammed her hand down on a red button. The gates securely closed with a metallic groan.

"Phew," Alyx breathed, smiling. "Glad that's over."

A doorway in the building behind them was blocked by a force field. Fortunately, there was a console attached to the wall beside it, and Alyx was in front of it in an instant. She put away her pistol to work.

They both ducked their head at the sudden, earth-shuddering bang from behind them, the noise accompanied by a series of flashing lights that left them shielding their eyes. Looking to each other in shock, their collective gaze travelled to the Citadel on the horizon, drawn by the low rumble from the clouds.

"Oh, God. Looks like the reactor's back on track for a meltdown." As if to accentuate the point, the red storms swirling above the broken Citadel flashed and exploded three times, like a nightmarish bell tolling. "That transmission's going out after all." Visibly worried, she pulled the device from her belt and blasted the console, the force field blinking away. "I'd like to find another way around these buildings, but we really don't have time."

She sounded desperate, and Gordon walked back to one of the fallen Combine soldiers and took his machinegun. He nodded to her, and they proceeded into the darkened corridor. Searching through, they climbed up a flight of stairs leading into a Combine monitoring room. Well, as much of a monitoring room it could be with no soldiers inside.

Alyx cocked a cautious eyebrow. "Okay…"

They moved on through an open door, exploring down the corridor. The floorboards creaked beneath they boots as they crept along, the dingy yellow light barely giving them a view of the peeling wallpaper.

An explosion from the other side of the wall shook the light bulb, leaving it to swing wildly. Glancing back to Alyx, Gordon moved forward with just that little bit more caution, emerging out of the corridor and out into a dark metal booth. Sunlight bore down on them through three windows in front of them. There was a bare doorway on the right, revealing a brick wall in the distance.

Moving to the doorway, the explosions echoing through the windows made him duck down instinctively. There was a significant drop down to the ground below, and he spotted a broken ladder lying uselessly on the floor.

He looked back to Alyx, who was crouched beneath a window, cautiously peering through. Gordon moved over beside her, looking out into the garage below. It was a loading bay, the booth they were sat in designed for overlooking the workers that would have brought in the goods. Whatever the goods had been.

Through the open gate of the garage, Gordon could make out the shadows of whatever was giving the Combine a fight. A familiar roar echoed through the air, promptly followed by a Combine armoured van tumbling into the garage, landing on its side and screeching along the ground.

"An ant-lion guardian," Alyx breathed.

His gaze shot to her, and back to the window. "Oh, that's what they're called…"

"Why?" she frowned. "What've you been calling them?"

"Um…" He shrugged. "Big… ant-lions?"

Two soldiers flew into the garage, slamming into the wall beneath the booth with a surprisingly loud series of grunts.

Gordon moved to the doorway, stopped, and turned to face Alyx.

"Alyx," he said, loudly and clearly.

Seemingly more surprised by his voice than the explosions and gunfire coming from the street outside, she stared at him like she had no idea what he was going to do next. "Yeah?"

"I'm about to jump into the line of fire. Just… thought you should know."

Her head hung to the side, and she smirked. She walked over to him, putting a hand on his arm. "Gordon. I'm jumping into the line of fire _with you_. Just thought _you _should know."

"…oh. Okay."

She held a hand out towards the doorway. "After you."

After a moment's indecision, Gordon walked to the doorway and leapt down, landing feet first on wooden crate that cracked under his weight, throwing him onto his backside. Alyx landed in front of his dazed eyes with an ease that made him grumble as he clambered painfully to his feet.

They wordlessly moved to the wall beside the open gateway and peered outside. The parking lot in front of them stretched out to a road turning right, disappearing behind the building beside them. Three Combine soldiers desperately held to a mounted machinegun that had been set up in the middle of the turning in the road, aimed down the street. Ant-lions swarmed around them, stabbing and slashing at their legs. They held steadfast, however, firing at something else on the street.

The ant-lion guardian thundered in, swinging its head around in a low, wide arc that knocked the soldiers into each other, sending them rolling along the ground in a heap.

"What's the plan?" Alyx asked, crouched below him.

He looked down at her incredulously. "You're asking me?"

"Well, yeah. You've killed these things by yourself before, right?"

"Uh… no."

This time, she looked up at him incredulously. "What? But I heard that on the coast… and at Nova Prospekt…"

"I…" he cleared his throat. "I mostly… ran away from those."

Her mouth hung open cluelessly for a moment, then she looked back to the ant-lions as they finished off the soldiers.

"Okay. That… changes things."

A sudden change came over him, seeing Alyx's surprise and disappointment. He had something to prove now. He'd never needed to prove anything before. Usually he was trying to _dis_prove the idea of him as 'The Opener of the Way' and 'The One Free Man'. Now, though…

His jaw set, he cricked his neck. "Okay. Plan. I'll distract it, you shoot it with the machinegun."

Alyx frowned up at him. "_That's _a plan?"

He shrugged. "If it works, it is."

Staring at him for a few moments longer, Alyx sighed and shrugged. "Three, two, one…"

They sprinted out into the open, Gordon firing his MP7 in a wide spray into the gang of ant-lions gathered around the mounted machinegun. The larger creature didn't seem concerned at first, only becoming interested when the bullets hit the smaller ant-lions. It then seemed to live up to its name as guardian and turned on him with a quiver-inducing growl.

Gordon rounded the corner and ran down the street, taking a look around as he went. A Combine blockade sealed off the road further down, the burning Citadel on the horizon emerging behind it like a spectre.

An ant-lion burrow had settled into the middle of the road, and two more ant-lions scrambled out, kicking up sand and dust as they came up to greet him. Gordon blasted them both away into clouds of yellow. The guardian took objection in the form of a solid blow to Gordon's backside, sending him sailing through the air and slamming sideways into the thick metal Combine gate. He hit the ground with a solid thud.

The guardian loomed down on him, ready to swing its head in another low arc and throw him across the street. High powered bullets thudded against its back, and it turned around with an almost indignant grunt. The spines on its back twitched and wobbled as it looked from him, Alyx, and back again. It finally decided on Alyx, deeming her the more immediate threat. Her bullets probably hurt more, to be fair.

Bracing himself against the metal gate, Gordon heaved himself to his feet, holding his side tenderly. He was fairly sure ribs had been broken. Thankfully, the HEV suit wasn't doing too badly at the moment, power wise. Well, he didn't think eighty percent was that bad, anyway.

More ant-lions emerged from the burrow, and Gordon started shooting. This once again grabbed the guardian's attention, and it thundered over to him.

And so it went, an odd game of piggy in the middle with perhaps the most unorthodox piggy ever conceived. Finally, to punctuate the end of the game, a rocket soared over Gordon's head from behind the gate, hitting the guardian's head with such force it whipped to the side, growling in a rather pathetic manner as its legs collapsed beneath it, leaving it to fall limply to the floor.

Alyx made her way around the body while Gordon busied himself blocking up the burrow with a nearby van. More rockets disposed of the remaining ant-lions as Alyx reached him.

"So it's a plan now," he stated, feeling justified.

She smiled, nodding. "It's a plan, Gordon."

The gates of the barricade opened, and they backed up, weapons at the ready. When nothing emerged, Gordon darted to the other side of the gate. There was nobody on the other side. After a shrug to Alyx, Gordon moved through to the other side. The road ahead had collapsed in on itself, appearing like a trench cutting across it. Gordon saw an entrance into the building on the left, made available by the crushed section of road.

"Hey, thanks!" Alyx called out, and Gordon frowned as he looked back at her. Her gaze was cast upwards to the building on the right, waving her thanks to the resistance fighter stood atop it. He did an awkward salute with his rocket launcher before disappearing into the building.

Gordon gestured to the door on the left with his machinegun, and she nodded her approval. They set off, exploring through the darkened basement and sneaking up an even blacker stairway. After some fairly clueless wandering, they emerged up some stairs in daylight again, coming out at the end of a long street. Behind them, Gordon could see the city-consuming metal wall blocking the road.

Explosions and gunfire returned his attention ahead. The street stretched down quite far, swooping down a hill before ending at a tall apartment building. The buildings on either side towered over them, and, casting his gaze down their pale, bleak brickwork, Gordon could see the makeshift bridges created by the resistance. Resistance fighters ran across from left to right, machineguns and pulse rifles blazing at the soldiers pursuing them.

A sudden, piercing zip noise clued him in to the two soldiers rappelling down the wall coming to a landing almost immediately in front of him. Gordon darted off to the side, hitting the first soldier with all the bullets he had. Which, after the guardian, ended up being about three. Both soldiers had their attention firmly lodged on him, however, and missed Alyx aiming at them from the safety of the stairwell. Two well placed shots sent them crumpling to the ground.

Gordon got to his feet and adjusted his glasses. "Thanks," he said, walking over.

She scooped up a pulse rifle from one of the fallen soldiers and handed it over. "Next time, keep an eye on how many bullets you've got left."

"I really do try," he sighed, following her along the road as they took cover behind vans, cars, and a surprising amount of debris spilling from a building on the left.

Though the south European lettering erected over the entrance to the building was incomprehensible to him, the red cross beside it clued Gordon in to the building's original purpose. He tried to think of the last time he had seen a hospital, but found he couldn't.

Then again, he _was _finding it hard to think amidst the bullets raining down on him from a Combine soldier further down the road.

Rockets from multiple rooftops hit the soldier simultaneously, tossing him around the air in one of the most severe cases of overkill Gordon had seen. That seemed to be the last of them, judging from the silence that followed. A citizen dressed in the usual denim garb emerged from a building further down on the opposite side of the road.

"Hey, over here!" he called, waving them over.

Still cautious of further attacks, Gordon and Alyx emerged from behind the rubble and ran over as briskly as they could. The man, who had thin black hair and eyes that seemed to indicate that very little surprised him, nodded his greeting to the both of them. Much to Gordon's relief, he didn't make any extra fuss of him than of Alyx. To him, they just seemed to be two people on the run from the Combine. Suited Gordon just fine.

"What are you still doing here? Everyone should clear out of the city!" Alyx said desperately, reminding Gordon of why she was so respected amongst the alliance; she actually cared about all of them. Being the daughter of Eli Vance, she could have hidden away at the lab and remained safe from the Combine. Instead, she was here, making sure they were all okay, and not thinking of herself as anything more than just another member of the resistance.

Though Eli probably would have preferred the 'hidden away at the lab' option.

The citizen shook his head gravely. "The Combine's not making it easy. We're trying to get enough people together to force our way through to the train station. People are meeting up in a safe-house nearby."

"Can you take us there?"

"You bet," he answered, a little breathlessly. "This way."

He promptly took off through the door he had emerged from. Gordon put out a hand for Alyx to go first. With a smile, she did so, and they both followed the citizen through a maze of corridors and steps, emerging into a yard and proceeding up to secure a metal door. Only a slat at eye level indicated that anyone resided inside.

The citizen rapped a fist against it. "Hey, it's me, open the door."

Almost instantly, the slat opened, and a young female voice replied, "What's the password?"

His shoulders tensing in a manner that said he had been confronted by this many times before, the citizen raised a lecturing finger. "I'm not even going to tell you to shut up."

"Come on in!" the female voice cheerfully said back, as though he hadn't even spoken. She closed the slat and opening the door.

The citizen led them inside and quickly left them to their own devices, instead focusing on the girl that had been at the door.

"I've been back and forth with evacuees every ten minutes, you don't have to ask me for the password _every _time."

As the pair argued about proper procedure, Alyx and Gordon moved into the room tentatively. Odd that they were more confident moving through a zombie infested underground tunnel than they were a safe haven.

A makeshift living room had been set up for the moment, a television in the corner projecting Dr Kleiner's broadcasts. Two rebels leant back on the sofa opposite, while another leant against the wall in the corner of the room, chewing a toothpick. One more rebel was sat on a backwards chair. Squinting, he was pointing from the television to Alyx, and back again.

"You're… Kleiner's daughter, right?"

She smiled politely, as though she got this all the time. "Uh, no. My Dad's Odessa Cubbage."

An eyebrow rose on Gordon's face, but he said nothing. He wondered where Cubbage was now. Was he evacuating? Or was the coast far enough away to be unaffected by the blast from the Citadel? Not that it mattered. Little weasel.

"You idiot, she's Eli Vance's daughter," one of the rebels on the sofa said, before excitedly leaning over his sleeping comrade, a woman, to talk to them. "But hey, Dr Freeman, I heard you were there when Odessa Cubbage took down the first gunship!"

Gordon looked at the man sideways, frowning. "Uh, actually-"

"Wow. That must have been a real honour for you. I am proud to say that I met someone who knew Odessa Cubbage."

Keenly aware of the amused look Alyx was giving him, Gordon took a breath to respond when the previously asleep woman on the sofa spoke up without opening her eyes.

"I met Odessa Cubbage one time. What an idiot."

It was said with such a definitive tone that no-one saw fit to argue.

With wide eyes, Gordon blinked and shook his head, and Alyx visibly stifled a laugh. Looking past her, he saw Dr Kleiner smiling widely as he spoke.

"_On a lighter note, if you are already in one of our designated safe zones, I feel obliged to point out a more fortunate side of the reactor's destruction is the complete removal of the Combine's reproductive suppression field. Previously, certain protein chains important to the process of embryonic development were selectively prevented from forming. This is no longer the case. For those so inclined, this would be an excellent time for procreation. Which is to say, in laymen's terms, you should give serious consideration to doing your part for the revival of the species."_

A heavy silence fell on the room, though Dr Kleiner continued on quite cheerfully, talking about the Combine and Dark Energy as though he hadn't said anything remotely embarrassing.

Mortified at the words he had never wanted to hear from his mentor, Gordon stared at his boots.

"Uh…" Alyx's voice was unsure, very much following Gordon's state of mind. "…is Dr Kleiner really telling everyone to…"

He looked up, curious to see how she would summarise such a horrific chunk of information.

"…get busy?"

"Oh, yeah," the Cubbage enthusiast said, his voice unnaturally low as he leant back, resting his arm along the back of the sofa and behind the sleeping woman's head. "Dr Kleiner says we can mate now." He glanced to the woman, then to Alyx, adding quickly, "Not that I needed his permission."

Giving the citizen a look she usually reserved for Dog when he did something inexplicable, Alyx suddenly turned to Gordon, smiling pleasantly.

"I… think we should find whoever's in charge."

"Upstairs," the sleeping woman said tonelessly. "Quickly, they'll only get worse."

They moved out into the stairwell, and ahead of him, Alyx stopped at the bottom step to take a deep breath before heading up the steps. Gordon tried not to eavesdrop on the snippets of conversation he heard as they ascended.

"-might call them crabs, but I tell you what, they don't taste like crab-"

"-sometimes I think everybody's a doctor but me-"

"-hear they put babies in those Striders-"

"-don't miss Dr Breen. But I do miss his show, remember when he had the jugglers on-"

"-oh no, the Kleiner speech is starting again… CAN'T SOMEBODY MAKE IT STOP?"

It was only a couple of flights up before they were walking down a corridor with a slatted door at the end that was similar to the one that had been outside. Alyx and Gordon looked at each other unsurely before she rapped a cautious finger against the door.

Silence.

Then the slat opened, and a familiar face shone through. A little grubbier and with heaver bags beneath his eyes, but still… familiar and shining, simply from the grin that broke out on his face.

Barney Calhoun looked between them. "Gordon? Alyx? I don't believe it!" The slat closed and he opened the door, backing up to allow them inside. "How the hell did you get out of the Citadel?"

It was a small room, a section of the wall in the far right corner removed to allow access to one of the Resistance drawbridges, which was pulled up at the moment. A rebel was acting as lookout at a window behind Alyx. Another citizen closed the door behind them, resting against it as she watched them talk. Weapons crates were piled up against the left wall, and Gordon eyed them curiously.

"We're…" Alyx looked to Gordon, as though he would help her find the words. "…not exactly sure. All we know is the Vortigaunts had something to do with it. But what about you, Barney?"

His face sagging, Barney rubbed the back of his head, which was something he did when he didn't know the correct thing to say. "I'm doin' okay, just goin' crazy tryin' to-"

"They've found us!"

Everyone turned to the rebel at the window, his small machinegun firing away at a Scanner floating in front of him. It exploded promptly, but not before managing to cast its gaze across everyone in the room with its red eye. Gordon could have sworn that it lingered on the data packet attached to Alyx's belt.

Eyes rolling, Barney sighed at Gordon, like this was something he did all the time. "Ah, hell, Gordon! Were you followed again?"

An indignant, high pitched whine escaped him. "W- I didn't…" Words failing him, he pointed at Alyx.

Saving him from any further verbal fumbling, Alyx pulled out the data packet. "We stole some information from the Citadel on our way out," she explained, handing it to Barney. The ex-security guard held it between gloved hands, studying it with the same badly hidden bafflement he used to give Dr Kleiner's notes back at Black Mesa.

"I don't know what it is yet, but it's important enough that they've been hounding us the whole way here."

With a sigh and the shake of a head, Barney handed the data packet back. "Well that puts the pressure on… look, we gotta get movin'. You guys know about the evacuation trains, right?"

"Yeah," they both said, eliciting a smile from Barney. Gordon knew that smile. It was an 'I have ammunition with which to embarrass Gordon in the near future' smile.

"Yeah, well," Barney said slowly, looking slyly between them, "we've been planning to make a push on the train station. Now it looks like we're gonna have to cut a path through every chickenshit Metrocop who's having second thoughts about defending City 17."

Alyx nodded thoughtfully, slipping the data packet back into her belt. "If Gordon and I took a separate route, we could draw the Combine away from you. That'd give you a chance to get the trains filled up before we get there."

A wince was the reply, Barney once again rubbing the back of his head. "Really? I mean, it's a dangerous route, and-"

"It'll be fine," Gordon said, eyes on an ammunition belt resting on the crates beside him.

Still dubious, Barney shrugged tiredly. "Well, if you say so." He waved them over as he walked to the hole in the wall leading to the bridge. "Now, come on, look over here."

Following along, Gordon was having trouble figuring out how to wrap the ammo belt around his waist and/or leg. These things were needlessly complicated. He glanced up at Barney as he spoke, his eyes drawn to something wedged into the wheel attached to the ropes of the drawbridge. A crowbar. It troubled Gordon how emotional he got seeing it. Spurred on by the sight of it, he finally figured out the belt, one strap going around his waist and the other his thigh, the holster for the gun (crowbar) attached between the two. He decided to use his right thigh, as that was the leg he was used to for his crowbar.

"Okay, across this bridge and over the rooftops is a safe path to the station." Barney leant over and yanked out the crowbar, leaving the wheel to spin wildly. The bridge tumbled out behind them, landing with a clatter on the ledge of the building opposite. "You two head that way. I'll hit the streets and round up everyone who's been waiting. We'll meet you there."

"Sounds good," Alyx nodded, summoning Gordon over with a tilt of the head before she ran across the bridge. "Let's go."

"Hey, Gordon, before you go," Barney said, putting a hand on Gordon's arm. He waited, eyes glancing at Alyx as she disappeared into the building beyond. Looking to Barney expectantly and trying not to look down at the crowbar, he couldn't help the small smile as his old friend brought the tool up to bear.

"I was gettin' tired of carryin' this around." He lowered it down into Gordon's waiting palm before lifting it back up again cautiously. "Listen, I don't have too many more of these. So try not to lose this one, okay?"

"Yes, mother," he muttered, snatching the crowbar from him and slipping it away.

"No, seriously. I kept that other one for twenty years, Gordon. You know how awkward a crowbar is to pack? You have it for, what… a week, and you lose it?"

Pushing up his glasses, Gordon cleared his throat. "Technically it was three days. Slow teleport from Nova Prospekt doesn't count."

"That's even worse, Gordon."

"…ah. Right you are." He saluted with the crowbar. "I'll look after it this time."

"Okay, good." Grinning, Barney put his hands on his hips and nodded to the building opposite. "So go on across, Gordon. She's waiting for you." Grin melting into a smirk, he winked. "You lucky dog, you."

Gordon shook his head, mortified. "Oh, no, it's not-"

"Huh?"

"There's nothing like that-"

"I'm sorry?"

"I-"

"Can't hear ya, what?"

His shoulders slumping, Gordon sighed. "I hate you sometimes."

"Sorry Gordon, really can't hear ya over the beating of your lovesick heart. You're like a couple already, talkin' at the same time…"

Jaw clenched, Gordon pointed an objecting finger in Barney's face. "You…"

"Hey, did ya hear what Dr Kleiner said about the suppression field?"

"Oh, good God. I'm leaving now." He started walking.

"Little Freeman babies, I'm tellin' ya."

He started running. "Can't hear you!"

The grin evident through his voice, Barney shouted after him. "See you at the station!"

Alyx was waiting for him in the building opposite. She let out a little laugh when she saw the crowbar.

"Ah, you've got a new crowbar!"

He wasn't really listening, and was trying to concentrate on not blushing. "Oh, yeah, I uh… like it. The crowbar. I like crowbars. _This _crowbar."

She smiled at him with the slightest of frowns.

"Everything okay?"

"Yeah, yes, of course," he said entirely too quickly as he bustled past her, heading through the building and out onto a rooftop beyond. "I mean, fine. It's all fine. Everything's fine, and Barney's… fine."

Alyx caught up with him as he released the brake on the wheel for the next drawbridge. He ignored the way she was studying him, instead concentrating on a strange rumble emanating from below. Looking down, he saw a Gunship soar between the buildings, moving surprisingly low and beneath the bridge as it clattered to a halt.

"Oh, crap," Alyx muttered, following Gordon as he sprinted across. It brought them into a darkened building with a stairway ahead of them. Clambering up with the thunder of the Gunship circling around them, they entered a corridor that turned off to the left at the end. High on the wall, silhouetted through a large window, the Gunship hovered up ominously.

High powered bullets blasted through, showering them in glass as they moved through into the next, long corridor. The gunship hounded them as they moved forward, and they took cover behind an archway a third of the way down the corridor when they spotted the Combine soldiers in the middle of a struggle with a horde of zombies. They seemed to be doing quite well for themselves, ducking slashes and responding with quick blows to the headcrab and deadly shots from their weapons.

They looked at each other. A count of three, and off they went, blasting away at both the soldiers and the zombies and managing to catch them all by surprise, leaving them in a messy heap behind them. Spotting them through the windows of the corridor high above them, the gunship opened fire, blasting glass down on everyone concerned.

Backs pressed to the wall, they managed to move along relatively quickly before they followed more stairs up to a huge warehouse of an attic. Looking through the bullet holes in the wooden floorboards ahead of them, Gordon could see they were on the top of two floors. Looking ahead, he could see the body of a rebel draped over a green crate beside a wooden support beam. A rocket launcher rested on the floor beside the rebel, and Gordon started for it before stopping and turning back.

"I'm about to run into gunship fire now, Alyx." She rolled her eyes, and he put a finger up to silence her. "Just me, this time."

"Gordon," she admonished, hand on her hip, "I was _going _to say, you can take this one. Gunship fire tears people in half. You've got a HEV suit. And besides, you were there when Odessa Cubbage took one down. I'm guessing you picked something up from watching him, right?"

Leaving him a little speechless, she slapped his arm and slipped through one of the holes in the floorboards, dropping to the floor below.

Sighing once more at how little he understood that woman, Gordon charged out into the open, keenly aware of the holes in the wooden ceiling and the incoming drone of the gunship. He skid to a halt at the crate, and rolled the body off.

"Sorry," he mumbled, scooping up the rocket launcher and opening the crate.

The gunship roared as it spotted him, opening fire and demolishing another section of the roof, raining wood and splinters down on him. Gordon loaded the rocket launcher and tried to aim through the haze. He fired, and the gunship swerved around, trying to turn the cannon on its front to catch the missile. It was too slow, and received a rocket to its midsection. It writhed through the air, roaring in pain before it gradually managed to right itself.

Gordon loaded the next rocket as the gunship moved overhead, his view blocked by the roof. The gunship bullets pounded through wooden planks above and behind him, hitting him in the side and leg as he turned to face it. A pained cry escaped him as he dropped to his knee. Dropping onto his back, he took cover behind the crate.

Snarling in frustration, the gunship fired continuously, demolishing the roof as it circled around the building. Groaning, Gordon heaved himself to his feet and started running towards the doorway they had entered from, his view of which was obscured by a wooden support beam directly ahead of him and just a few metres from the doorway itself.

The gunship's bullets followed him along, nipping at his heels insistently. Gordon grabbed on to the pillar as he reached it, whirling around it like a pole dancer and emerging on the other side with the rocket launcher drawn and aimed at the gunship. He fired, and it soared straight ahead before hitting the gunship's head, which whipped back severely from the impact.

He ran back for the crate, fishing out another rocket and fixing it in place. The gunship's bullets shattered the wooden floorboards on the opposite end of the room, firing off in seemingly random directions. Ducking his head down to peer up through a hole in the ceiling, Gordon saw the gunship writhing about in the air, as though dazed and trying to shake stars from its eyes. If gunships _had _eyes. They must do, though. How would they see, otherwise?

Gordon blinked the thought away as a spray of bullets hailed down towards him. He dove forward and turned as he leapt, landing on his back. The wooden planks creaked in protest, already cracked and straining from the downpour of fire from the gunship. He thrust the rocket launcher back through the wood, giving him room to aim it straight up through a hole in the ceiling.

The gunship went overhead, and he fired, trailing the rocket towards the propeller at the rear of the alien creature. It shattered the metal blades, sending the gunship into a lurching dive, roaring and moaning as it fell almost straight down, arcing ominously towards him as it belched smoke and fire.

Eyes wide, Gordon started rolling towards a gap in the floorboards, finally falling down below as the gunship smashed through the roof and crashed down into the wooden planks. Gordon thumped down to the ground chest first, and looked up to see the head of the gunship wedge itself into the floor beside him. Slowly rolling over onto his back, Gordon saw that the body of the gunship had become stuck, awkwardly woven between the various support struts and beams.

The crate of rockets had been knocked to the ground, resting just a few meters down from Gordon. It was on its side, rockets spilling out. He got to his feet with a grunt of effort, putting his hand in front of his mouth as he coughed.

Alyx came up beside him, her head whipping from him, to the gunship, then back again. Her hands were waving about by her sides, as if they were helping her articulate her thoughts.

"Wow!" she cried, mouth agape. "Holy cow, that was-! Jesus, Gordon, you're a real terror."

He frowned. A 'terror'? Was that good? She _was _smiling. So… that meant it was probably good.

Gordon shrugged and adjusted his glasses. "Thanks."

Amused beyond belief, Alyx's gaze travelled over to the gunship. "Think it's dead?" She looked over to him and nudged him with her elbow. "Maybe you should whack it with the crowbar just in case."

"Uh…" he looked down to the crowbar at his hip, then the inert gunship. "Okay…"

He slipped out the crowbar and walked over to the dead alien creature. He was about to bring the crowbar back for a good swing when a beep interrupted him. Frowning, he looked back to Alyx, who had pulled out her pistol.

She was looking behind him. Following her gaze, Gordon saw two locked doors on the far side of the room, the Combine lock beeping, the red light flashing and getting faster with every passing second. Alyx ran to a pillar and took cover.

"Where's your rifle?" she hissed.

Gordon patted his sides as though he would find it in some imaginary pocket before he remembered and pointed to the doorway on the floor above them. "I dropped it when I went for the rocket launcher- oh, wait."

He turned quickly and found the rocket launcher. Picking a rocket at random from the overturned crate, he shoved it into the launcher and walked straight into the line of fire opposite the double doors. The beeping reached fever pitch, and the doors exploded off their hinges. Gordon waited for the first glimpse of the blue glow of the Combine eye-pieces and fired. The rocket hit the group of four dead centre, sending them flying off in different directions, colliding with walls, pillars and some just tumbling along the floor. All of them were still, either dead or unconscious.

"Oh," Alyx said, her voice low. "Well, that works too."

On the other side of the doors, Gordon could make out a cramped stairway heading down. He looked at the rocket launcher on his shoulder and reconsidered, tossing it to the ground. One of the soldiers had considerately left his small machinegun by the door when Gordon had fired a rocket at him. He would have said thank you if he knew which one it was.

They came out into an empty, echoing hallway. The pale, hard floor gave nothing under their boots, and Gordon didn't look forward to falling onto it. It was sad, he thought, that falling over had become such a certainty of life. As they moved through, it became clear where they were.

"Hey, a hospital," Alyx said, pointing out an empty surgery through double doors on the left. "Keep an eye out for medical supplies."

He nodded his understanding as they reached the end of the hallway, turning right into a small junction of a corridor that had been transformed into a Combine outpost. A force-field fizzled away in front of the next corridor, bathing them both in a cool blue light.

"So much for medical supplies," Alyx sighed, moving to a rack on the wall. "I found shotguns."

He turned to face her upon hearing the word, and promptly found said weapon being thrown into his arms.

"Hold on to that one, all right?" she asked with some amusement, walking past him to get to a console on the wall.

Resisting the urge to grumble (he was grumbling a lot these days), Gordon found a box of shotgun shells and loaded up. Once Alyx was done at the console and the force-field winked out of existence, he handed the box to her. After loading up, she stuffed as many shells as she could into the pockets of her belt. Gordon did the same with the ammo belt he had awkwardly wrapped around his thigh to accommodate the crowbar.

"Okay," she said, pumping the shotgun, "let's go."

Gordon nodded, thinking how odd the weapon looked in Alyx's hand, and how small it made her look. They moved out into the corridor, covering each other as they slipped further down. Two double doors on the left suddenly burst open, a Combine soldier flying through. Several more backed up, firing into the out of sight corridor.

As he cautiously approached the corner, Gordon heard the moans and cries of zombies. He hung his head and sighed.

"Enough with the zombies already," Alyx sighed, and Gordon nodded his tired agreement.

Then, on the count of three, they launched themselves into the fray, taking out first the distracted soldiers, then turning their attention to the zombies and zombines groaning and slashing at them.

Gordon managed to stay away from most of them, back-pedalling the swipe of their claws and responding with a shotgun shell to the headcrab. Alyx did much the same, though any zombies that _did _get too close were dissuaded by various kicks and elbows that pushed them far enough away for her to get a clean shot.

And so it went, moving through the corridors and stairwells of the hospital blasting, kicking and sometimes bludgeoning zombies, of which there were far more than soldiers. The Combine truly was losing control of the city. Hopefully that would mean their forces would be too busy to bother them.

He sighed as he followed Alyx around another corner. Why did he torture himself with these thoughts? When Alyx had started to think optimistically, their train had crashed. Who knew what would happen if _he _gained a positive outlook?

They were forced to navigate their way through an old operating room. The shrivelled, burnt husk of what Gordon assumed was a citizen lay on the operating table. Cables dangled down from the lighting fixture above, sparking and twitching against the body.

"What kind of hospital is this?" Alyx whispered.

Rather than think about the answer, Gordon gently pushed her onwards and out the door.

The sound of gunfire and zombies erupted from down the corridor, and Gordon ducked down with Alyx. Carefully, they crept along until they saw a junction ahead, zombies emerging from a waiting area on the right, bullets from unseen Combine soldiers in the corridor on the left. Blocking, or at least obscuring their view of the soldiers was what was once a nurses station. Big, tall windows ran along the wall and around the corner, giving them a view of two white figures, cornered in the corridor.

Elites.

Gordon pointed to the soldiers and then tapped his chest. She nodded her understanding, pointing towards herself and then the zombies. Holding up his fingers, Gordon counted down from three, and then crept into the nurses station. The Elites were too busy with the zombies to notice his quiet form moving to the admittedly filthy and dusty window beside them.

He cocked the shotgun and fired with both barrels, the shot crashing through the glass and tearing into the first Elite's head, sending him crumpling to the ground. Gordon charged forward and leapt through the now fragile sheet of glass before him, shattering it and rolling out into the corridor in front of the Elite.

In an awkward kneeling position, he whirled his shotgun up to face the Elite, who promptly kicked the weapon up and out of his hands. Gordon yanked the crowbar from his thigh and swiped out in a big left arc, knocking the rapidly drawn pulse rifle out of the Elite's grip and into the nurses station beside them.

Gordon swung for the Elite's head as he jumped to his feet. The soldier caught his wrist easily and held it out to the side as far as it would go. His free gloved hand latched onto Gordon's neck and slammed him into the wall. The Elite started to squeeze. Gordon couldn't move his right arm, and his left batted ineffectually against the soldier's white armour. Dropping to his side, his hand limply touched the Gravity Gun.

Glancing out of the corner of his eye, Gordon saw his shotgun lying further down the corridor. Alyx was just a little further up at the junction of corridors, ducking a slash from one zombie before whirling on the spot and firing a blast up through the headcrab of another.

He latched onto the Gravity Gun and pulled the shotgun to him. Tilting the Gravity Gun up towards the Elite, he fired. It collided with the soldier's head with a ferocity that released his grip on Gordon and sent him stumbling back. Gordon the shotgun out of the air by the reloading mechanism, and pumped it roughly. He brought it to bear on the soldier, who launched himself at Gordon with a frustrated, kamikaze roar. Gordon fired, blasting the soldier into the wall behind him.

Then his body seemed to realise he had nearly been choked to death, and he started coughing madly. Looking over through watery eyes, he saw Alyx wedging her shotgun nozzle underneath the headcrab of a fast zombie and firing.

A little breathless, she cast an enquiring look in his direction, and he nodded and waved her concern away. Taking one last deep breath, Gordon walked over to her, blinking away the water that had gathered in his eyes from the coughing fit.

She lugged her shotgun over her shoulder. "You good?"

Gordon pumped the shotgun. "I'm good."

They didn't have to go far. Just around the corner was a curiously blank door leading out the back of the hospital. Alyx opened it first - much to his chagrin - and smiled, looking back at him.

"Yes! The train station."

He followed her through into the small room beyond. A doorway on the right had been blocked by wooden planks, nailed onto the frame. Gordon set aside the shotgun, resting it against the wall, and pulled out the crowbar. As he got to work, he heard a camera click, and spotted the surveillance camera in the top corner of the room at the same time as Alyx.

A monitor beneath the camera sprang to life, the green Combine slug creature flickering onscreen and getting a good look at both of them before disappearing.

"Uh-oh. They're on to us," Alyx muttered, eyes on the screen as she came up beside him, holding his shotgun in her free hand. He wrenched the last plank of wood free and took the weapon from her with a grateful nod.

"Better find Barney and get moving," she said confidently, moving assuredly through the doorway and out into the wide outdoors.

Gordon cast one last glance at the monitor the Combine thing had appeared on. He half expected to see Him staring back, silently observing with that satisfied smirk. But, instead, it was just a blank screen. He wasn't being watched. No-one evaluating him for their 'employers'. This was new. This was different.

He had real chance at freedom.

And as he followed Alyx, Gordon was determined to get it.

* * *

(A/N: Nothing much to say, except that the gunship section in the warehouse is so much fun in the game.

Keep those reviews coming, everyone!

_Next Chapter: Exit 17)_


	5. Exit 17

Disclaimer: I don't own _Half-Life._

_**Aftermath**_

_**Chapter Five: Exit 17**_

Thunder rumbled from far behind them, echoing out from the Citadel miles away. Ash from the steadily worsening reaction at the reactor's core drifted down like falling snow. The sky was an apocalyptic red and black, foretelling the destruction that was to come.

Barney waved them over from ahead, and Alyx led the way. They were on a patch of road overlooking a grassy hill, split in the middle by a double-lane road sloping down. It led down to what was once the parking lot of the train station, the entrance to which was on the far right hand corner of the building. Huge, rusting, foreign writing had been erected above the building, in danger of falling apart. Old, dilapidated cars and vans were littered around the parking lot, loose tyres and barrels left all over the place like forgotten children's toys.

They walked to Barney, who waited for them at the bottom of the grass.

"There you are," he said stressfully, clearly trying not to sound too scornful. "I was wondering if you were gonna make it on time."

Alyx sighed and shook her head. "Sorry to keep you waiting, the Combine's on our tail. What's the plan?"

They walked and talked, flanking Barney on either side as he spoke, leading them to a doorway in the warehouse on the left.

"I've already sent some folks out in groups, but there's quite a few left. Like I said before," he said, fixing Gordon with a warning look, "if you can keep them safe and provide cover, we might actually stand a chance of reaching the escape trains."

"Sounds good," Alyx nodded, bringing her shotgun down from her shoulder and grasping it confidently between her hands. "Send out the first group."

Giving them both a 'don't disappoint me' look, Barney backed up into the corridor of the warehouse and shouted into it, cupping his hand around his mouth.

"Here we go!"

Three citizens, unarmed and looking more than a little jittery, emerged and stepped out into daylight. Gordon recognised some of them from the safe house. They looked warily between Gordon and Alyx. He let her take over the uplifting speech part of the job; he'd concentrate on keeping them alive.

"Okay, people, three rules. Follow us, don't wander off, do what we say. They'll keep you alive. Got that?"

Without pause, they nodded, looking just as frightened of Alyx as they did the situation in general.

Alyx took a breath, nodded to Gordon, and they set off through the parking lot, struggling to navigate through the maze of cars and vans. The entrance they were using took them through an old and dusty repair warehouse. A metal walkway ran above their heads, going around the right-hand wall and stretching along the opposite wall. Murky light shone in from the windows far above the walkways, though it was enough to show them the drop from the platform they stood upon.

A train car beside them was suspended above the ground on enormous metal rails, though one end had collapsed, wedging into the ground beside them. The path they took led them to the left beneath the train, giving them a view of another train car on metal girders, this one secure. Slipping beneath that, they saw a doorway on a platform on the left, a machinegun mounted beside it.

They cautiously made their way into the well lit corridor. Well-lit places made Gordon nervous. Always trying to make you feel at ease, getting you to relax, until something jumped put at you, usually biting or slashing. Gordon didn't like biting or slashing things. He liked bullets and explosions even less.

This corridor, however, was fine, snaking to the left and then to the right before bringing them into a coolly lit Combine waiting area, the entrance to which was wide open. Two more doors inside offered a way forward, one at the far end of the room, another open on the wall on Gordon's right. Both of them were behind a wall of chain-linked fence, no doubt for citizens being 'checked in'. Through the right-hand door, Gordon could see the train waiting. Alyx ushered the citizens through.

"Hurry it up, people," she urged quietly, as though afraid they were going to be overheard. They didn't need telling twice, and rushed out onto the platform, disappearing off to the right to board the train. Gordon and Alyx walked back through the corridor. Apparently having learnt nothing from their train crash, Alyx shrugged cheerfully. "Well that wasn't so hard. We should've brought everyone over at once!"

He gave her a look that indicated he disapproved of this train of thought, but she didn't seem to notice, instead focusing her attention on the mounted machinegun as they emerged into the warehouse.

"Go back and get another group," she said firmly, resting her shotgun against the wall, "I'll stay here and guard the gate."

Gordon nodded, hopping over the metal steps ahead of him before looking back with a nod. "See you soon."

The journey back was uneventful, which made Gordon even more uncomfortable as he arrived back at Barney's warehouse.

"C'mon, people, that train's not gonna stay forever!" the ex-security guard hollered, and four more citizens emerged. Two were armed, two were not. One of the unarmed was a medic, the same woman who had called Cubbage an idiot back at the safe house. She gave him a terse nod before waving an arm towards the train station.

"Okay, um… three rules, uh… follow, and…" He sighed and shrugged. "I can't remember. Just be… smart, I suppose."

Barney clapped, nodding over-appreciatively. After shooting his highly amused friend a glare, Gordon nodded back to the train station and led the way. He froze when he heard a Combine armoured van, revving ominously before appearing from behind the building Alyx and Gordon had made their way through to get here.

"Back," he said quietly, holding his arms out and backing up towards the warehouse. With a rushing sound, the van fired a rocket. It swerved towards them, hitting the side of the warehouse, though fortunately around the corner from the doorway. The room shook, dust floating down from the ceiling.

Frustrated, Gordon looked at the crowd of citizens and rebels before him, some he recognised, others he didn't. But they were all looking to him to save them, to lead the way. Then he spotted something wedged into the belt of one of the rebels. Blowing out a breath through his nose, Gordon looked over at Barney.

"Those rockets…"

"Yeah?"

"What are they?"

Barney frowned. "They're… rockets, Gordon."

He rolled his eyes. "No, but… laser guided, like the rocket launchers, or-"

"Oh! I gotcha. Uh, heat seeking, I think."

"Okay," Gordon nodded, before wordlessly pointing to the flare that one of the rebels had shoved into his belt. It was the Cubbage fan. With a flick of his fingers, he indicated for the rebel to hand it over. Nervously, and clearly not sure whether he was doing the right thing, he pressed it into Gordon's waiting palm.

"Thanks," he muttered, studying it and setting his shotgun and Gravity Gun aside for the moment. It was the same type of flare he had used when he and Alyx were underground. He looked up to them and indicated to the four citizens he had originally been leading.

"Once the van's gone, run to the train station. Wait at the entrance for me." He moved to the doorway, then stopped and looked back at them. "Uh, unless I get blown up. Then just… go without me."

"Ladies and gentlemen, Gordon Freeman, saviour of the world," Barney muttered to the sky before putting his face in his palm.

Gordon took a breath, ready to retort, though nothing came to mind. Mouth clamped shut, Gordon just ran out into the open. The van fired a missile, and Gordon started running, heading uphill. He clambered up onto a pickup truck, reaching the cab and leaping to the grassy ground ahead of it. The rocket hit the cab just before his feet hit the grass, throwing him further into the air and towards the road at the top of the slope. Rolling along the ground, Gordon ended up in a crouch.

He pulled the cord on the flare and it burst to life, leaving a halo of flickering pink light around his feet. Another missile fired, arching into the air before rolling down towards him. Still crouching, Gordon tossed the flare along the ground, and it skittered along before coming to a rest beneath the van. Gordon lay back and winced as the rocket curved past his face, its hot, smoky vapour trail making his glasses steam up. It hit the side of the van with a thumping bang so loud it left his ears ringing, the explosion sending him rolling back along the ground.

For a few moments, Gordon allowed himself to simply lay there, staring up at the steadily darkening sky. Then he heard Combine radios squawking from the rooftop of the building just in front of him. Two leapt down towards him from opposite sides of the building, rappelling down. With a sigh, Gordon heaved himself to his feet and grabbed the crowbar, as useless as it would be.

It didn't even become a problem. Several well aimed bullets hit the soldiers in their backs as they moved down the building, and they tumbled down multiple stories before hitting the ground with a wince-inducing crunch. Looking back to the warehouse, Gordon saw Barney with his pulse rifle raised. His old friend waved cheerily.

Gordon ran back to the warehouse, where Barney was grinning inanely.

"Now _that's _the Gordon Freeman I know!"

He frowned at Barney, confused. "Did I blow up many vans at Black Mesa?"

"Well, no, but… hell, you know what I mean, Gordon."

Although he wanted to disagree, Gordon shrugged and nodded his head, acceding the point. He scooped up the shotgun Gravity Gun before gesturing for the group of four to follow him. The journey was blissfully uneventful, and Gordon left the citizens to Alyx rather than escort them down the corridor and to the train platform. Time was of the essence, as the now regular rumbles of thunder from the Citadel were reminding him.

Moving his way back through the car park, he found himself surprised when he turned around a van and came face to face with a CP. They both backed away from one another, the CP bringing up his handgun as Gordon blasted him in the chest with the shotgun. The impact sent him rolling back, his radio flatlining. The noise in itself brought back memories of just a few days ago, wandering aimlessly through the streets of City 17, just doing what he was told and getting used to the idea that he was apparently the messiah.

Gordon sighed. Ah, nostalgia.

There were more metrocops hiding away between him and the warehouse, though Barney and the accompanying rebels leant a helping hand when they could. Manhacks whirred through the air, and Gordon tossed the now empty shotgun aside and brought the Gravity Gun around. The metrocops were occupied with the cornered Barney, which left Gordon to contend with the half dozen Manhacks that swarmed around him.

Much to his frustration, he could only catch them with the Gravity Gun one at a time, and his suit informed him of minor lacerations all over his body. Not that he needed telling; those blades hurt, even when he was protected by an electrically rigid armour. Finally, though, he managed to dispose of them all, smashing them into walls, cars, and occasionally, each other.

And then there was one, which Gordon authoritatively escorted to the warehouse, where one last CP was attempting to get a lucky shot at Barney and the others. Gordon snuck up beside him. The Metrocop did a double glance in his direction, before staring helplessly at the Manhack suspended in front of him. Gordon fired, hitting the CP in the face, cracking the ghoulish white mask and leaving him unconscious on the floor. His radio flatlined as Gordon moved into the warehouse.

"Let's go, please," he said, eyes scanning the area outside.

"Come on, people, move it," Barney urged. Checking over his shoulder, Gordon saw four more citizens gathered behind him. These three had also been among those he had seen in the safe house.

Gordon nodded and set off, checking the building opposite for any soldiers rappelling down or uninvited armoured vans pulling up. Nothing. He did, however, notice a strange noise coming from behind him, and looked back to see the leather shoulder strap of the Gravity Gun trailing along the floor behind him.

"Manhacks," he growled, almost imperceptibly.

They moved through into the repair warehouse, where an Elite stood atop the walkway above them, his rifle aimed at the askew train car. The familiar sound of the pulse rifle's alternate fire charging echoed through the warehouse.

"Combine!" one of the citizens shouted, and all four of them brought their small machineguns to bear. They all fired their grenade launchers at the same time, the explosives arching through the air towards the white-clad soldier.

With a sudden burst of sound and light, the orb of energy shot out just as the grenades reached the soldier, annihilating him instantly. The orb bounced against the train and knocked it from its mooring, sending the whole thing crashing to the ground. A cloud of dust billowed out from beneath, though Gordon kept his eye on the energy orb. It collided with the section of the catwalk just beside them, sending it tumbling down to the ground and creating a makeshift ramp. Following the path it created, Gordon saw that it could take them up and over the train car that now blocked the old route.

He nodded for the others to follow, but as he set a boot on the bottom of the ramp, Gordon felt a bad tingle in his gut and ducked down, waving his hand to the others for them to do the same. Every time he had fought them before, Elites were in pairs. Except Victor, but he was a special case. A _very _special case. Gordon hadn't really allowed himself to think too hard about the fact he had been Kaufman.

He blinked the thought away. They had fought differently. Victor had been strength and speed, but undisciplined. Elites were all about speed and technique. And they were always in pairs. Looking to the window behind the charred remains of the Elite the rebels had dispatched, he saw it was untouched. Gordon cast a suspicious look around the warehouse, his gaze drawn to a skylight above the second train car, still hidden from their view by the first. It was missing, and Gordon could _just _make out two rappelling cables that dangled down through the threshold.

"Wait here," he whispered. "I'll tell you when it's safe."

"Unless you get blown up?" one of the rebels whispered. Looking back, Gordon saw it was the Cubbage fan.

He sighed and nodded. "Unless I get blown up, then just go."

Gravity Gun clutched in his gloved hands, Gordon started sprinting, boots clanking and clattering against the metal walkway. There was an Elite stood atop the second train, pulse rifle aimed and at the ready. He opened fire, bullets pounding into walls and sparking against metal pillars as Gordon frantically ran towards him. A couple of the bullets hit home, striking against his side and leg.

Limping as he approached the train car, Gordon leapt from the ledge, Gravity Gun in front of him as he landed roughly on the metal surface of the train. Rolling until he was on his back looking up at the Elite, Gordon blasted the pulse rifle from his hands and over the edge of the train. In response, the Elite lashed out with a blur of a kick, yanking the Gravity Gun out of Gordon's grip and sending it hurtling to the ground below.

On his feet in an instant, Gordon pulled out the crowbar. They circled each other, and Gordon had to glance down sporadically to watch his footing on the smooth, curved surface. He swung the crowbar down onto the Elite's head. The soldier promptly blocked the blow and grabbed his wrist, causing Gordon to clench his jaw more in frustration than pain. These ones were irritatingly quick. A black gloved fist zoomed out, smashing him across the chin with a right hook, then a backhand. The Elite latched on to his crowbar arm, yanking Gordon up and tossing him over his shoulder and off the train car.

Lashing out with the crowbar, Gordon smashed the car window just below him as he fell, managing to hook the end of the crowbar on the bottom of the window frame. With a few grunts of effort, he managed to haul himself into the train, collapsing onto the gap usually reserved for the disabled or mothers with strollers.

Without a moment's pause, the Elite swung down through the window opposite, showering Gordon in glass. He easily blocked another swing of the crowbar, responding with a right hook to the chin and left jab to the belly, which hurt far more than Gordon would have expected. The Elite grabbed Gordon's crowbar wrist and twisted it, forcing the tool from his hand. With his forearm pressed against Gordon's throat, he pushed him until his back was arched out of the window. Gordon's arms flailed uselessly, unable to accomplish anything against the thick white armour.

Then, thinking for just a moment, he reached for his face and slowly removed his glasses. The Elite followed his hand as he did so, looking as surprised as a featureless one eyed mask could manage. Fingers wrapped around the lenses, Gordon raised one finger, as though he were about to make a point.

He then poked the Elite in the eye, jabbing as quickly and deeply as he could. The soldier cried out and loosened his grip. Gordon followed it up with a head butt that was the entire reason for removing his glasses, which, while probably not painful, was forceful enough to drive the Elite stumbling away from him. With a cry that surprised even him, Gordon charged at the soldier, grabbing him by the scruff of his body armour and his leg, yanking him up and tossing him out of the window.

Gordon slipped on his glasses and winced when he heard the soldier collide with the concrete below. Poking his head out, he saw the still form of the Elite staring back up at him. He looked to the left and saw Alyx at the mounted machinegun, her wide, dumbfounded eyes on him.

Rather than explain, he just pointed down at the soldier. "I'd shoot him. Might not be dead."

Alyx did just that while he picked up the crowbar and searched for a way out of the train. Clambering down wasn't really worth the trouble, so Gordon moved to the window and leapt out, landing awkwardly on the body of the Elite. He rolled away and stumbled to his feet, dusting himself off pointlessly.

"Sorry," he muttered down at the Elite, ignoring the body as he retrieved the Gravity Gun. He cupped his hand over his mouth and tilted his head up towards the other end of the warehouse. "Safe now!"

He heard a few hushed commands between the citizens before he saw them emerge up the walkway from behind the train. While he waited for them to arrive, Gordon wandered over to Alyx, Gravity Gun limply by his side.

"How's it going?" Alyx asked with a wry smile.

"Fine, not many left now," he replied, distracted by Alyx's shotgun, lying by her feet. Eyebrows raised, he held the Gravity Gun up. "Trade you."

She looked down to the rifle, sighed, and nodded. Gordon gingerly put the Gravity Gun down, and scooped up the shotgun with more gusto than he was comfortable with. The rebels rushed past, giving a nod of thanks as they went.

"Thanks, Freeman!" the last one cried surprisingly loud, making both Gordon and Alyx lean back, eyes wide.

"You're popular."

"Yeah…" He blinked it away, and patted the mounted machinegun. "Back soon."

The journey back was uneventful, which made Gordon hope against hope that maybe the Combine had exhausted their supply of soldiers.

Ha. And again, Ha.

Gordon had worked out a route through the vehicles strewn about the parking lot, and managed to sprint his way through it rather swiftly, arriving at Barney's warehouse a little breathlessly. From the other side of the station, the train's horn blasted out. It was a very pedestrian noise, dull and ordinary. Something about it was rather comforting, actually.

"To the trains, people! We'll make sure you get there safe and sound!"

With an affirmative nod to the parking lot, Barney let Gordon lead the way for the four remaining citizens. They were halfway there when Gordon cast a casual glance back. That was when he spotted the blue laser zeroing in on Barney's chest, projecting out from a blackened window from the building across the parking lot. Gordon sprinted at his old friend, leaping forward and knocking him to the ground as the gunshot rang out.

The impact of the bullet threw Gordon back into a dumpster. It rolled back noisily before colliding with the wall.

"Get down!" Barney barked, sliding to Gordon in a crouch. "Gordon, you okay?"

"Mmm…" he groaned, face down on the ground.

"Can you walk?"

Scrunching up his face, Gordon slowly shook his head. "Don't _want _to…"

Barney laughed and gave him a shove. "Come on, Gordon. One Free Man's got more work to do."

Sighing, Gordon pressed his palms to the floor and pushed himself up into a sitting position, keeping his head down. He winced as he rubbed the back of his sore neck.

"Barney?"

"Yeah?"

"Being the One Free Man sucks."

"Try carryin' a crowbar for twenty years," he muttered, before rushing along to the next piece of cover, an ageing yellow van.

Grumbling to himself again, Gordon followed along. Keeping their heads down and running as quickly as their awkward postures would allow, they managed to reach the warehouse safely enough, though Gordon's back still hurt where the sniper bullet had punched against it.

They moved up the ramp and past the window shining down on the dead Elite. It shattered just as Barney moved beneath it, showering him in glass.

"Jesus!" he cried, ducking his head down while he whirled the pulse rifle to face the Elite that leapt down between himself and Gordon.

Gordon looked to the four rebels as the Elite hit Barney in the face with the butt of his rifle.

"Go!"

They didn't need telling twice, and sprinted away from them as the Elite whirled on the spot, batting the shotgun from Gordon's hands and sending it spiralling off the gantry and to the ground below. Barney brought up his own rifle, only to have it knocked upwards by a quick jab of the Elite's palm and quickly followed by an elbow to the face. The ex-security guard stumbled back as Gordon whipped out the crowbar, swinging it around at the Elite's head.

The Combine soldier turned in time to block the metal bar, responding with a jab to the stomach which managed to wind him through the HEV suit and send him stumbling back.

"Gordon!" Barney yelled, and both Gordon and Elite whipped their gaze around to watch him throw his pulse rifle into the air and over the soldier's head. The Elite's gaze followed it through the air, giving Barney the time to charge at the distracted soldier and ram him into the metal pillar behind him, grappling for the Elite's rifle and aiming it up into the air.

Reaching up, Gordon snatched Barney's pulse rifle out of the air and whirled it around to face the Elite in time for Barney to disengage, falling onto his rear and watching as Gordon blasted several holes in the soldier.

Blowing out a quick, grateful breath, Barney clambered to his feet and held out his hands to Gordon.

Gordon frowned down at the open palms for a moment before his brain caught on. "Oh! Sure," he said, handing over the rifle.

Smiling and shaking his head, Barney nodded at Gordon, and they moved on, quickly joined by Alyx when they passed the mounted machinegun.

"Nice job, guys," Alyx said cheerfully. "Everyone safe. About time we had a win."

As Gordon scooped up the Gravity Gun, Alyx eyed the area around him suspiciously, as though looking for something.

"Where's my shotgun?"

Gordon felt his face redden, and Barney snorted a laugh.

Alyx sighed, hands on her hips. "Remind me never to give you anything valuable to look after."

They moved on when the chatter of Combine radios echoed from the other side of the warehouse. Running to the boarding area, Alyx zapped the controls beside the Combine gate, closing the door behind them.

"That should keep them off our backs for awhile."

The room was empty, all of the rebels and citizens having loaded onto the waiting train by now. Barney ran straight to the doorway to the platform, ducking his head out and looking up and down the platform before turning to face them.

"You guys comin'?"

Alyx shook her head as she crossed over to him.

"Go on, Barney, they're not after you. Gordon and I will draw their attention while you get the others away from here. We can grab another train once you're clear."

Barney seemed to blanch at the suggestion, blinking in surprise before scrunching up his face in refusal. He glanced to Gordon, who just nodded in agreement with Alyx. Looking just that little bit sadder, Barney looked to Alyx, a resigned smile on his face.

"Okay, then. Don't take too long about it, yeah? And look after Gordon, y'know he can't keep himself out of trouble."

She laughed. "No, he really can't." Her laugh melted into a warm smile. "Be careful, Barney." She wrapped her arms around him, and Barney closed his eyes as squeezed her with his free arm.

They released each other, and with a smile, Alyx nodded before rushing past, heading to the control panel beside the closed door on the other side of the room. "Here, let's open up this next track."

While they watched her work, Barney leant over and spoke to Gordon. "She never stops, does she?"

With a sigh, Gordon shook his head. "No."

After a few moments silence, Barney took a deep breath and faced him. "Okay, then. See ya later, Gordon. Don't go gettin' killed now. I still owe you that beer."

He smiled. "Does beer even exist anymore?"

"God, Gordon, I hope so. Somewhere, somehow, I hope there's a bar untouched by all of this, with a pool table, darts, American football on the TV and a waitress wearin' daisy dukes who loves all my jokes and thinks the grey in my hair makes me look distinguished." His eyes took on a mock, dreaming look, and he saluted. "That's the dream, Gordon. That's the dream."

Their shared laughed didn't last long, draining away as the train's horn sounded again and Alyx managed to open the door.

"C'mon, Gordon," she said, walking through to the other side.

Barney slapped Gordon on the arm and nodding in Alyx's direction. "I think she likes you."

Groaning, Gordon's head drooped. "Barney, please-"

"No, I'm serious!" Seeing that the topic was making Gordon feel awkward, he closed his eyes and waved his hand about. "Never mind, okay. Just take care of her, yeah?"

He nodded solemnly. "I will," he promised, his voice low and quiet. "I'll see you later."

"You kiddin'? This time tomorrow we'll be wanderin' around White Forest helping Dr Kleiner find his office keys."

"Sounds nice."

"Yeah, it does, doesn't it?" He sighed. "And do you know how sad that is?"

An insistent female voice boomed out from the train. "Barney! We gotta go!"

"I'm comin', I'm comin'…" He nodded at Gordon and ran out of the room, heading for the train.

Watching him go, Gordon took a deep breath before heading outside to join Alyx. She was waiting for him at a platform looking out on the railway through pale blue Combine glass. Barney hopped onto the back ledge of the train.

Alyx waved. "Bye Barney! Good luck!"

He grinned and gave them a little salute. "See ya when I see ya!"

His train jolted to life, and he wobbled for a moment before slamming a hand down on the guardrail. Moving around, he leant his head around the side of the train to watch the route ahead, gradually disappearing out of their sight. Alyx's hand slowly lowered, and she looked over to Gordon reassuringly.

"He'll be fine, Gordon."

The uncertainty in her face didn't make Gordon feel any better, but rather than think too hard about it, he nodded down the fenced corridor that ran along behind them.

"We should go."

Smiling gently, Alyx led the way. Shipping containers towered above them on the left, stacked so tall that Gordon lost his footing when he tried to look to the top. Looking through the fence on the right, he saw several empty rails before a fenced off platform where their train rested.

The corridor ended, opening up to the right and leading to a crank operated metal gate. Separated from the gate, the crank itself was fenced off from the rest of the room. Gordon moved inside and started turning.

"I'll get a head start on the next train," Alyx said, ducking beneath the gate as it moved halfway up. "No time to lose."

She disappeared into the darkness, leaving Gordon to turn the wheel until the gate was fully opened. Through the fence ahead of him, Gordon could see the empty rails stretching out into the distance. He could still see Barney's train, surprisingly small as it disappeared into one of several tunnels.

And he could also see the Strider's leg, thumping into view from somewhere to the left. Legs bending, it dove down into a menacing crouch, the weapon dangling from its head shooting up to aim right at him. Sound and light bent towards the weapon as it began to glow a luminous blue. Abandoning the crank, Gordon ran to the right, the force wave from the explosion knocking him from his feet and sending him scraping along the ground.

He heard Alyx's distant, muffled voice shout out his name from behind the gate. Gordon scrambled to his feet, looking for an exit. Light once again blurred in front of his eyes, the blue bolt shooting past and hitting a fenced off area behind him. His feet left the floor and he collided with a thick concrete pillar shoulder first. He cried out, the Gravity Gun thrown from his grasp as he thumped to the floor.

Grunting in pain and ignoring the HEV suit's beeped protestations, Gordon snatched up the Gravity Gun and looked to the now demolished fence that had been behind him. It offered up a darkened passageway between the wall and a container. Looking back, he saw the Strider crouching down to get a better view of him through the fence. He shrugged and started running, skipping sideways down the thin gap.

The Strider fired again as Gordon emerged from the gap, the blast slamming the container into the wall that he had only just been squeezed against. Blowing out a grateful breath, Gordon kept on running, moving between the small gaps and pathways afforded by the stacks of containers.

He stopped when a blind attack from the Strider hit a container, knocking the metal box on top diagonally down towards him. The doors swung open, crates toppling out. Bouncing them away with the Gravity Gun, Gordon clambered inside, running up the darkened crate and blasting open the doors at the top. His feet clanged against the hollow container beneath him until he skid to a halt at the edge.

A digitised growl echoed through the station, and Gordon looked around frantically for his escape route. Although, even if he managed to get on the train, there was no way it would leave fast enough to avoid the Strider's attack. And with no rocket launcher, killing it was going to be a difficult task.

The three containers stacked in front of him were not lying atop one another perfectly, leaving the slightest of ledges between them. After a few practice swings, he tossed the Gravity Gun up and onto the top of the containers. Eyes on the ground below, Gordon hopped across, frantically pressing his body against the container and wedging his fingers into every gap he could find. Gripping one of the metal bars running vertically along the doors, Gordon heaved himself up, clambering up until he was on top of the stack of containers.

Gravity Gun in hand, he crept to the edge. Down below was the passageway he and Alyx had come down after saying farewell to Barney. He was also overlooking the fence, which was only just the same height as the three stacked containers he was observing from.

The Strider groaned as it noticed him, and turned its weapon on him, charging again. Panicking, Gordon ran back halfway down the container before turning roughly on the spot and sprinting for the edge. He jumped off just as the blast hit the side of the container, the explosion rocketing him over the fence and throwing him down to the empty rails he had spied earlier. Dropping the Gravity Gun, Gordon tucked his head and curled into a ball.

Taking a deep breath, he couldn't help the pained shout that escaped him when he impacted with the metal rails, his shoulder bouncing off and ricocheting him into the air. He tumbled along incredibly painfully for a couple more seconds before colliding with the side of a train platform. Lights blinked in front of Gordon's eyes, and not from the HEV suit. Though the suit in question did have a few choice things to say about the sudden impact, droning on about fractured this and medical that.

Ground shaking, Gordon looked up with bleary eyes to see the Strider stomping over to him. Slapping a hand down on the platform above him, Gordon heaved himself up to his feet. His legs shook beneath him as he turned to face the Strider.

Oh, this wasn't good.

Its cannon pointed towards him, and Gordon, finding some new reserve of energy, ran beneath the creature, positioning himself between its three legs and directly below its head.

Grumbling in frustration, the Strider stomped around in circles as it tried to spot him, the cannon whirling around madly. As they moved, they ended up slowly backing towards the fenced passageway Gordon had just done a flying leap across. Just as Gordon allowed himself a smile, thinking that maybe he would be able to delay the Strider like this until he or Alyx came up with something, the Strider's cannon whipped straight down, aiming right at him.

His smile disappeared, and he did his best to avoid the blast that shot down at him. It hit the ground directly in front of him, throwing him back with more force than he had ever felt before. He tore through the fence and into the bottom of a stack of four containers. The force of the impact sent the bottom container scraping back just slightly.

The HEV suit was barely audible now, and the Heads Up Display flickered. Gordon blinked a couple of times to try and clear it, marvelling that his glasses had remained where they were. They had probably been pressed onto his face by the force of the blast. He looked up, and saw the three containers atop the one he rested against. They teetered forward just the smallest amount, creaking quietly.

That could have been him seeing things, however. Looking at his hand, it looked like he had ten fingers, so he couldn't really trust his eyes at the moment. Looking up, he saw the Strider standing over him. It crouched down, cannon pointed straight ahead, as though it wanted to look him in the eye as it blew him into pieces.

Gordon stared back, swallowing to moisten his very dry throat. He was fairly sure he could taste blood in his mouth.

The cannon began to charge.

Gordon leapt to the side as the Strider fired. With a now familiar wave of energy, Gordon was thrown down the passageway, bouncing off the fence and his back slamming into another stack of containers. He dropped down to the ground like a stone, and let his head drop to the side so he could watch.

The bottom container knocked even further back, the three on top groaned and tumbled forward, crushing the Strider's legs and sending it toppling onto its back before the last container came down on its head. Purple, industrial blood spurted out into a wide pool, slowly spreading beneath the toppled container.

The danger over, Gordon let himself relax, blowing out a long breath. He let his head rest back and closed his eyes. After only a few moments, something cast a shadow over him, and Gordon blinked his eyes open. Struggling to focus, he nevertheless recognised two Combine soldiers standing over him, rifles aimed at his head.

"Oh," he croaked, his throat parched. "Come _on…"_

Two gunshots cracked through the air. The soldiers toppled, blood puffing out of the sides of their helmets. They collapsed to the floor in front of Gordon, and he watched them fall before slowly casting his gaze down the passageway. Alyx was running towards him, concern etched in her face. She cast one last cautionary look around the station before holstering her pistol and crouching down in front of him.

"You okay?"

Gordon blinked, though his eyelids moved out of sequence. "Not sure," he slurred, and smacked his lips together. "There's two of you. Is that good or bad?"

Her frown deepening, Alyx fished around in her jacket pocket, bringing out two metal objects about the size of a flashlight, a blue glowing energy gauge on the side.

"I found these in the storage room back there. They're Combine batteries, but Dr Kleiner said they should work with your suit."

He gave a thumbs up, though it was at a weird angle. "I'll let you know."

Nodding grimly, she placed the end of one of the metal sticks into the lambda symbol on his chest. After a moment of irritating silence, the HEV suit sprang to life, the stats solidifying in front of his eyes. The battery pushed him up to about fifteen percent, and the second battery thirty. The HEV suit said something about morphine, and Gordon grinned.

Alyx looked at him sideways, frowning. "Did that work?"

He nodded deliriously. "Oh, yeah."

"Good. And by the way, _fantastic _job, Gordon! You're my new hero!"

Gordon slapped his chest, still grinning. "I'm everyone's hero. I'm the One Free Man!"

"Uh… yeah."

Taking in the confused way Alyx was looking at him, Gordon blinked and cleared his throat, trying to become normal again.

"Sorry about that. The HEV suit is using morphine, it'll wear off in a few seconds. Although it's not technically morphine, it's more complicated than that. Nano-particles are involved. Nano-particles, nano-genes, nanites… something like that. I don't know." He giggled uncontrollably. "If it doesn't have to do with portals, I'm pretty much in the dark."

Nodding in understanding, Alyx was now smiling, if only slightly. "Y'know, this is the most I've ever heard you talk."

"Well, maybe I should… talk more."

She grinned. "Definitely."

Then the euphoria began to fade away, and the urge to laugh at everything vanished as quickly as it came. He frowned, and looked over Alyx's shoulder.

"Is that the train?"

A little taken aback by the sudden u-turn, Alyx blinked. "Uh, yeah. Yeah, it is."

The storm above the Citadel, unseen from the station, rumbled.

Gordon got to his feet unsurely, and, satisfied that his legs could hold him, gestured for Alyx to lead. "So maybe we should…"

"Yeah," she agreed, becoming all business again. She glanced to the floor, then looked up and down the passageway before sighing. "Where's the Gravity Gun?"

He blinked. "The…"

"Gravity Gun, Gordon."

"…Gravity Gun… oh, right. The Gravity Gun. Yes. The Gravity Gun, which is…" Remembering, he snapped his fingers and pointed to the tracks. "Out there."

"Good," Alyx sighed. "If you'd lost it, my dad would have killed you."

Alyx ran ahead, Gordon limping on stiff, bruised legs behind her. They made their way to the train over the tracks, cautiously stepping around the undoubtedly flattened remains of the Strider and picking up the Gravity Gun on the way. He really needed to get the strap fixed.

Once at the train, Alyx hopped on board the observation deck at the back, giving Gordon a hand getting up.

"I don't believe it," she breathed, eyes wide. "I think we're actually gonna make it out of here."

Setting the Gravity Gun down against the back door of the train car, Gordon shrugged. "We've dealt with worse."

She laughed at that. "Yeah, we really have, haven't we?" Shaking her head, she clapped her hands together. "Okay, let's get the train moving. Wait here, I'll be right back."

With that, she turned and hopped off onto the platform on the other side of the train, heading for a console on the wall. Gordon all but collapsed back against the doors of the train. Casting his gaze to the side, he stretched his head around the corner. There were at least a dozen cars ahead of theirs, stretching out so it was almost inside the tunnels Gordon had spied Barney's train disappearing into. They were on a different track, however, and Gordon couldn't help but wonder if they were heading in even remotely the same direction.

The train lurched to life, and Alyx jumped down beside him from the platform.

"Here we go." Relief flooding her face, Alyx grinned. "We did it, Gordon."

Smiling in as convincing a manner as he could manage, Gordon leant forward, gripping the guardrail with both hands as they watched the train station grow smaller and smaller, eventually disappearing as the train increased in speed and took them through a long, dark tunnel.

The Citadel loomed above them, lightning crackling around the top as the red clouds swirled ever more violently. Thunder rumbled, seemingly from all around them. A gunship roared overhead, and they both looked up. It swooped down towards them, drunkenly swerving about as they entered a tunnel. Even when the tunnel proved far too narrow it continued forward, its propeller exploding and the flames consuming the rest of the creature.

Another rumble vibrated through the air, though this was completely different from those that had gone before. It was a long, simple monotone, like an alarm, or… a code.

"Oh my God, the transmission's going out."

Looking first to Alyx, then to the Citadel, Gordon saw streaks of white light shooting out of the remains of the Citadel, contrasted against the darkening sky as the daylight faded. They flew straight up before swirling into the clouds, like ships caught in whirlpool. The white streaks gained in number until it was almost a beam of light disappearing into the red glow at the core of the clouds. Like a beacon.

Ships blasted off from all corners of the Citadel, swooping away and soaring over their heads at alarming speeds. Gordon and Alyx watched them come and go. One came dizzyingly close.

A sudden stab of a headache shot through him, and he struggled to stand, hands gripping the guardrail for all it was worth. Alyx was doing much the same. After a few more blasts, each one obscuring his vision with a bloody red, they were finally gone, having overtaken the train.

"Those were…" Alyx moaned, clutching her head.

Those things from the Citadel. Gordon nodded, squinting at the bright white light emerging from the base of the still transmitting Citadel. It grew brighter and faster with each moment. A loud whine filled the air, filling his ears until it was almost unbearable. The passing countryside started to fade away, the colours paling, replaced by the ever-intensifying light.

"Oh my God," Alyx murmured.

There was nothing but white and Alyx's horrified whisper of a voice.

"_Gordon…"_

_

* * *

_

(A/N: Usually the fight scenes aren't really my favourite parts of writing, but I really enjoyed planning out the Gordon/Elite fight atop the train carriage. Although Barney was fun to write, as always.

Anyway, reviews please!

_Next Chapter: To the White Forest)_


	6. To the White Forest

Disclaimer: I don't own _Half-Life._

_**Aftermath**_

_**Chapter Six: To the White Forest**_

A loud metallic crash awoke Gordon with a jolt, and he sat up quickly, his head spinning. Eyes closed to stop the dizzying swirl of the colours in front of his eyes, Gordon put a hand to the side of his sore head. It was bright outside, far less murky than during the crash. He must have been out for the night. Then again, considering it was a shockwave of portal energy, the possibility of another slow teleport wasn't out of the question.

"Alyx?"

Nothing.

He felt his glasses, still perched on his face. Good, good.

Crowbar. Good.

No Gravity Gun. Not so good.

Opening his eyes, Gordon took in his surroundings. He was in a train carriage, though it was at a very steep angle, veering down to the right. Attempting to stand on the back of the seats he had collided with, Gordon checked up the train, and saw another carriage above him. How many carriages had he been thrown through?

"Alyx?" he tried again. Still no response. Fear gripped his chest, but he fought it down. Don't panic, don't panic. She could take care of herself, as she took great delight in showing him time and time again. His best bet would be to get out of the train and find her from the outside.

Shaking his head, Gordon looked out the window closest to him, on the right-hand side of the car. The metal spokes and girders of the bridge obscured his vision, though he could make out grass below. Quite far below, too. The train creaked around him as he unsteadily shuffled his way to the edge of the seat, peering down the makeshift ramp the floor had become.

The next carriage wasn't at quite the same steep angle as this one, so hopefully he would be able to make his way to the ground that way.

"Geronimo…" he muttered, slipping off the seat and allowing himself to slide down, keeping his arms and legs tucked in to avoid catching on anything.

Though the second carriage did level out a little, it wasn't enough to slow him down, and he wound up sliding into the pool of water that had gathered at the lower end of the carriage. His impromptu ride at an end, Gordon blinked, staring up at the ceiling through the drops of water on his glasses. Grasping onto a seat beside him, Gordon pulled himself to his feet.

Now at the lower end of the carriage, Gordon looked out the window on the left, seeing the train had crashed down into a lake beneath the bridge. A lake which had evidently leaked in and was now halfway up his lower leg. With a sigh, Gordon sloshed further into the next carriage, which was, mercifully, more or less level with the ground. The water, unfortunately, was up to his waist now, and Gordon awkwardly moved his arms around like a robot as he walked through.

Suitcases bobbed along the water, and Gordon gently wiped them away as he moved to a door at the end of the carriage. Once there, his hands floated slowly through the surprisingly clear water, searching for a door handle to slide it aside. His fingers slipping into the metal groove, Gordon tugged.

Nothing. Just a metallic thud to tell him he was pulling against a locked door. After a few more fruitless attempts, Gordon yanked the crowbar from his side and stabbed it between the door and the frame. Not having any idea what he was doing, Gordon just twisted it back and forth, watching it create the smallest of warped gaps.

He sighed, and backed up, breathing heavily. He was probably just making it worse. Putting the crowbar away, he looked around for another way out, hands on his hips thoughtfully.

"Gordon!"

His head jerked at the voice, and he stared ahead for a moment before whirling on the spot, looking out over the lake at the source. It was Alyx, and relief flooded him. She was on the shoreline only a couple of feet away from him. She crouched down and sighed.

"Oh, Gordon, thank God you're okay."

He cast a questioning eyebrow at her, and she waved him down. "Don't worry, I'm fine. Hold on a sec, I'll get you out of there."

Casting her gaze around the area, Alyx's eyes sparked when she spotted something off to her left. Smiling, she ran over to the side. Following, Gordon walked along opposite her, eventually catching sight of what she was heading for. The Gravity Gun, resting upside-down on a train door that had been thrown loose, water lapping at the edges.

Tentatively, Alyx lifted the device, inspecting the top and bottom before smiling at Gordon hopefully. "Let's hope this still works."

She moved around to the front of the train carriage, and Gordon could see her through the window of the door, aiming the Gravity Gun towards him.

"Stand back."

He didn't really need telling, and he'd backed up to the other end of the car as fast as the water could allow, frantically kicking up froth as he went.

"Here goes…"

With a metallic wrench, the door jerked in its frame before being yanked away, coming to an abrupt stop in front of Alyx. Her eyes on the door as she turned away, Alyx looked entirely too careful. It only then occurred to Gordon that the Gravity Gun was a delicate piece of scientific equipment and he probably shouldn't have thrown it around as much as he had been doing.

Alyx blasted the door, sending it hurtling away and bouncing against the rock face surrounding them. She stumbled back from the force of the blast. She steadied herself as Gordon stepped out of the train car. His boots squelched against the wet grass on the shore of the lake as he walked up, smiling at the look of surprise on her face.

"Wow," she laughed, "I forgot what a kick this thing has." Turning it around in her hands, she offered up the main handle of the Gravity Gun. "Here, you take it. You're better with it than I am."

Reaching over and trying not to be too possessive about it, Gordon took the Gravity Gun from her, twisting it around until it was facing the right way again. It didn't seem damaged, only a few scuff marks and grass stains. The broken leather strap that flopped to the ground was slick and shiny with water, the surprisingly bright sunlight glistening against it.

Taking a deep breath, Alyx put a hand against her chest. "When I couldn't find you, I got…" She then broke out in a smile, sighing and shaking her head. "I know, I know, I shouldn't have worried."

Gordon shifted his shoulders about, unaccustomed to having to carry the Gravity Gun in his hands. "I, uh…"

Oh, damn it. She was looking right at him now. He had to finish the sentence, which wasn't easy with her directing that innocent gaze his way.

"I'm… glad you're all right."

She opened her mouth to reply, then closed it again. Her face seemed to go a peculiar shade of red as she smiled, meekly tucking some hair behind her ear.

"Well," she said quietly, before bringing her head up and speaking louder and clearer than perhaps was really necessary, "we should keep moving. I'm sure the Combine haven't forgotten about us. I heard Vortigaunts a few minutes ago, maybe they're still around."

Trying not to let his piqued interest show too much, Gordon cocked a curious eyebrow. "Vortigaunts?"

She nodded. "We've got a long way to go to find my Dad. It'd be nice to have some extra help."

Not to mention having some very important questions answered. So far, the Vortigaunts were the only other beings who had even acknowledged the existence of Him. True, Breen had said something about his contract being 'open to the highest bidder', but Gordon didn't really have the ability to ask him. One, he was dead, and two… Gordon really didn't like him. Number one was the main reason, though.

Looking up to the bridge above their heads, Gordon could see that the train had been tossed from the bridge, colliding with the ground and ricocheting up and onto the low verge behind Alyx, blocking their way forward.

The side doors were missing from an empty cargo trailer that rested atop the verge, and Gordon led the way inside. The doors on the other side of the trailer were closed, though dented and slightly ajar. When a simple push didn't suffice, Gordon aimed the Gravity Gun and blasted the door aside. It swung open violently, clanging against the side of the trailer.

There was a small drop on the other side, but nothing too hazardous. Gordon sat down on the edge of the trailer and dropped down to the ground. He moved out of Alyx's way so she could follow, taking in the area while he waited. Directly in front of them was the entrance to what looked like a mining tunnel, blocked by too tall fenced gates. Inside, he could see a rail for mine carts heading upwards before disappearing into the darkness.

"Oh my God… the Citadel."

He shuddered away the memories of Ravenholm as Alyx ran past him, heading out into a clearing on his left. Her boots splashing against the shallow lake, she rushed to edge of what Gordon realised was a cliff-face. The train had taken them quite a distance from the city they were now overlooking. What remained of the city, anyway. The now miniature buildings had been almost completely annihilated by the blast, only the barest of burnt, scarred frames remaining. The rest only looked like so much dust.

And there, at the centre of the charred landscape, was a mountain of jagged spikes, a nightmarish vision of twisted dark metal. The remains of the Citadel.

The most brilliant blue light spun out from the very centre of the Citadel's corpse, like a tornado fixed to one spot. Twitching and spasming as it swirled around, the beam of light connected to the grey clouds above. The once hellish red core of the thunderous clouds had been replaced by the same luminescent blue that now churned forth from the Citadel. The occasional ominous rumble was the only reminder that this was the same storm he and Alyx had delayed only a few hours earlier.

"What the hell is happening?" Alyx murmured, moving as close to the edge of the cliff as she could.

"It's a portal," Gordon said, though it was more an observation of scientific wonder than an answer to Alyx's question.

Whatever reply she was preparing to say was interrupted by a blinding haze of light from the energy twisting above the Citadel.

"What's that?" Alyx asked urgently, though Gordon was too busy shielding his eyes with his hand to see.

The light faded, and the ground rumbled. Bringing down his hand, Gordon saw a circular wave of blue energy growing out in all directions from the Citadel. And, Gordon couldn't help noticing, towards them. A high pitched whine came with it, growing in intensity as the wave approached.

"Portal storm!" she cried out, barely getting the words out of her mouth before she ducked to the ground. The wave of energy blasted through them like a powerful gust of wind, knocking Gordon up into the air before thudding onto his back.

"Look, the bridge!"

Arching his aching head back, he watched the wall of energy hurtle through the remains of the bridge, tearing apart what little remained of the framework holding it together. With a groan that echoed over them and out over the cliff-face, the bridge collapsed, metal girders screeching and crashing as the train came hurtling down. A boulder on the hill above the entrance to the mining tunnel toppled, bouncing against the train car they had moved through earlier and crashing through the gates in front of the tunnel.

Smoke and dust sprouted upwards, growing into the air and leaving a murky filter in front of the once bright blue sky.

Wincing, Gordon heaved himself up, resting back against his elbows. His eyes wide as he took a few breaths, he looked over to Alyx.

Holding a similar expression, Alyx stood up from her crouching position. "Are you okay?" she breathed, her eyes drifting over to the remains of the Citadel again. "It's like… the first days all over again. I hope we don't get many more."

Gordon frowned as he got to his feet, watching Alyx as she dusted off her jeans. When she noticed the thick streaks of mud running up both legs, however, she let out a sigh of acceptance and pulled out her pistol.

The first days? What did that mean? The first days after Black Mesa? Was this what the Seven Hour War was like? Eli had only mentioned it in passing at Black Mesa East before everything else got in the way. Gordon had never been told what precisely had happened in his absence. Was this it? Portal storms, followed by… the Combine, maybe? Or maybe it was just headcrabs and other creatures coming through from Xen?

She was on the move before he could ask, heading for the mining tunnel. Stood beside the entrance, she jerked her head towards it, indicating of him to follow. Gordon glanced back to the Citadel. If he did ask, it was just going to prompt even more questions from her.

"_Why you don't you know about the first days?"_

"_Why don't you know about the Seven Hour War?"_

"_Why haven't you aged a day since Black Mesa? Shouldn't you be forty or something?"_

"_And stop looking at me like that, I'm Eli Vance's daughter."_

He blinked the troubling possibilities away before following along. Gordon led the way into the mine, flashlight illuminating the way.

A way around the inevitable questions occurred to him, and he tried to sound as casual as possible as he spoke. His voice echoed in the dark tunnel.

"So what do you remember of the first days?"

"Not much," she shrugged, eyes on the ground in front of her. "But the Seven Hour War… I remember having nightmares about Voltigores and Shocktroopers for months. Glad the Combine ran out of those," she sighed, looking to him for agreement.

Gordon nodded quickly. "Oh yeah. Yeah, Shocktroopers and Voltigores. Hated those."

"Not that the Striders and soldiers are much better," she sighed absently. If she wasn't convinced by his agreement, she didn't show it, instead continuing through the tunnel.

He sighed at how clueless he still was. Voltigores? Shocktroopers? Were they creatures he had met? Had they been at Black Mesa? Did that mean the Combine had been invading while he had been wandering around the Lambda Complex all those years (days) ago?

He gave a mental shrug. Whatever, Alyx said they were gone now. One less horrific thing for him to deal with. His boot caught on the bottom of the Gravity Gun's trailing shoulder strap, and Gordon irritably looped it around his wrist. Should stop it flying off in future train crashes.

Not that he was planning on getting in any train crashes. Not that he _ever _planned on getting in train crashes, they just seemed to… happen around him.

The slanted tunnel levelled out a few feet ahead. Gordon blasted a mine cart that had been left askew in front of them.

"I wouldn't be surprised if the rebels used this place," Alyx said quietly, her voice nevertheless echoing down the tunnel.

They reached the end of the tunnel, a hole in the ground leading to the floor below. Jumping down, Gordon was confronted by a slew of corpses, slumped across the rails and against the walls. Some were human and antlion, but most were desiccated zombies, clawed hands scratching at their emaciated faces in a fixed expression of agony.

Alyx landed quietly behind him and groaned at the sight, and the smell. "Well, safe haven it ain't."

He grunted his agreement as they headed forward toward the sunlight at the end of the tunnel. The groan of zombies and the clicking of antlion mandibles slowed them as they approached the exit. Rewarding their caution, a zombie hurtled into view from the left, an antlion slashing viciously at its headcrab.

Alyx took aim and started firing. Gordon looked around for anything he could throw. Finding nothing, he could only watch as Alyx emptied what remained of her clip into the brawling monsters. She reloaded with an ease that could only come from years of practice - or blind luck, as was the case with him.

Something occurred to him, and he frowned. "How do you not run out of ammo?"

Checking the area in front of them, she slipped the pistol away. "I restocked when we were at Barney's safe house."

"Oh. I don't remember that."

Looking a little embarrassed, Alyx scratched her neck. "Yeah… you were mostly staring at the crowbar."

After a pause, he nodded. "Ah. Well. I uh, do like the crowbar."

"Yeah." Her gaze flitted ahead of them, and a smile blossomed. "Okay, a communication centre."

Gordon followed her eyes and saw a large shack ahead of them overlooking a canyon down below. The cliff-side beside it and the path on their left that could take them around it had both been fenced off.

"Let's see if we can get a message out to my Dad," Alyx said, practically running through the door and inside, leaving Gordon to catch up. A large array of television screens hung in front of a display of thick, old windows. Most of the screens were cracked and rusted, though the largest TV seemed relatively unharmed.

Thick cables led up to a cramped maintenance walkway on the left-hand wall that looked like it had been put up long after the shack itself was built. It was certainly… homemade.

"Dr Kleiner and my Dad are up north at an old missile base," Alyx said, tapping away on the keyboard in front of the television screens, occasionally pressing buttons and twisting dials on a control panel beside it. "I hope they're still using this frequency. They're trying to help launch a-"

The screen buzzed to life, replaced by white, fizzling static.

"Ah, here we go." Twisting a dial beneath the screen, she tapped a button beside it now and again as she spoke. Gordon had no idea what any of this stuff did, and was once again relieved to have someone with him. Working alone in City 17, he probably would have died quite quickly.

Now _there _was a sobering thought.

"White Forest? White Forest, this is Alyx Vance, do you read?" A frustrated groan escaped her, and she focused her attention on the controls for a few moments more before trying again. "White Forest, come in. White Forest, are you there?"

The white began to flicker, replaced by another, more familiar image. Dr Kleiner's stretched and distorted visage filled the screen, peering down at them unsurely. Gordon could make out Eli in the far right corner too, his back to them as he worked on something. On the monitors built into the wall behind the two scientists, Gordon could see an image of the destroyed Citadel, though it was more specifically focused on the energy raging forth.

"_Alyx!" _Kleiner marvelled, adjusting his glasses as though to check his vision._ "My goodness, is that really you?"_

Eli whirled on the spot as quickly as his metal leg could allow, hobbling over as Alyx replied with a grin.

"Yes, and Gordon too. We're okay – we made it out of City 17."

"_Alyx! Thank God," _Eli gasped, nearly falling through the screen as he moved Kleiner out of the way and leant towards them._ "I can hardly believe it."_

Clearing his throat a little, Gordon offered a tiny wave, which prompted the smallest of smiles from Eli.

"_And you, Gordon. Good to see you both."_

"Don't worry, Dad, we're fine," Alyx said assuredly, though handily leaving out the fact they had been in two train crashes, attacked by dozens of armed soldiers and pursued by a gunship and a strider. "But something really strange is happening with the Citadel."

"_Oh yes, we're been monitoring the situation," _Dr Kleiner interjected, and Eli stood up to give them a view of the older scientist. Clearly in his element now, Kleiner continued, waving his finger around in the air with authority._ "The raw discharge of the meltdown has been focused into a coherent beam of portal energy."_

Gordon and Alyx exchanged a worried look before Eli translated.

"_It's the Combine," _he said gravely._ "They're trying to open another gateway."_

Dr Kleiner nodded emphatically. _"Yes. What you're seeing is the infancy of a superportal. If it attains full strength-"_

"_It'll be the Seven Hour War all over again," _Eli interrupted, his face grimmer than Gordon had ever seen it._ "Except this time we won't last seven minutes."_

So the Seven Hour War was the invasion by the Combine. The first days must have come before. But the Seven Hour War happened twenty years ago. Earth had access to a lot more military power than they did now. If the same invasion force attacked again…

Gordon suddenly understood the fear that briefly silenced everyone.

Alyx, however, was deep in thought, and suddenly broke out of it to look at him. "My God… Gordon, what if that was why they were sending so much data from the Citadel? So that-"

"_Data?"_ Kleiner cut in, almost panicked as he rushed forward._ "From the Citadel?"_

Alyx nodded. "In the control room. They were feeding huge volumes of data directly into the Core destruction sequence."

Almost ignoring her, Kleiner backed up and spoke off to the right, to someone out of sight.

"_Magnusson, did you hear that? I'll bet it's the Combine portal code!"_

Gordon couldn't help the way his jaw dropped as he saw Dr Arne Magnusson emerge from behind Eli, irritably dismissing Kleiner with a tired shake of the head. He was too far away from the static riddled image for Gordon to make him out in much detail, but the voice… the voice was familiar.

"_Yes, yes, I'm not deaf."_

"I downloaded the whole packet," Alyx elaborated, pulling the data stick from her belt. "They're been chasing us ever since."

"_Well of course they have,"_ Magnusson sighed, tossing his hand up in the air exasperatedly. _"You see, Kleiner, it's the lynchpin of all of their plans."_

"_Well, I can see that" _Kleiner mumbled._ "I never said-"_

But Magnusson was away again, lost in his own thoughts, his arms folded and his hand balled up in front of his face. _"Somewhere in that sequence, they would have had to establish a connection with the far side," _he theorised excitedly, before finally looking at Alyx and addressing her directly._ "What you have there, young lady, is the specific contact code for the Combine Overworld."_

The smallest of gasps escaped Alyx, and Gordon couldn't help but look to the image of the Citadel portal behind the three scientists. On the other side of that was the Combine home world?

"_Good God," _Eli muttered, looking sad rather than shocked as he shook his head.

Now that he was closer, Gordon could see Magnusson with greater clarity as his words boomed out over the speakers. Twenty years had been kinder to him than Gordon would have imagined. His cheeks were a bit more jowly, his hair greyer… but still recognisably the same man. There was still that glint of superiority that came from knowing that beside the fact that everyone hated him for acting like he was always right… he was always right. That was what most people at Black Mesa had found most infuriating about him. He was one of the smartest among them, and made sure everybody knew it.

Although he _was _the only one who could scare Dr Breen. That was always fun to watch.

"_Now if I'm right about this – and I have no reason to doubt myself -"_ he inserted smugly, rocking back and forth on his heels.

In a moment that made Gordon like her all the more, Alyx rolled her eyes in full view of the overbearing scientist.

Unimpeded, Magnusson continued, "- _you are carrying the very code Dr Mossman had hoped to recover. Now, how soon can you get here?"_

Looking frustrated at the loaded question, Alyx glanced through the windows behind the screens a little helplessly. "Well, we'll have to get our bearings, but we can definitely-"

"_There is no time to waste!"_ Magnusson declared, his eyes glazing over as he muttered away to himself._ "We'll need to step up the launch schedule. Now, as soon as you get here with the signature data,"_ he said, backing up and waving his arms around in the air like an angry wizard,_ "we'll encode the satellite and get the damn thing into orbit."_

With that, he disappeared off to the right, busily followed by Dr Kleiner.

Eli turned to them, hands out cautiously in front of him. _"Get he- as qui-ly as -ou can, you two. But fo- God's sa-, be -ful."_

Static cut into the transmission, and Eli's worried face paused, the distorted words cutting in and out from frozen lips.

"Dad?" Alyx frowned, and got to work on the controls. "Dad, you're breaking up, come in. Dad!"

The screen finally plunged into static again, and Alyx slammed a hand down on the controls in front of her in frustration. The screen winked off, and Alyx hung her head, sighing.

A distant voice made Gordon's ears prick up, and he put a hand on Alyx's shoulder. She looked up at him, then listened to the voice. It was the Combine's mechanical Overwatch, smooth female tones belying the hell they were going to rain down on them. A helicopter thundered out of nowhere, vibrating dust from the roof of the shack as it passed overhead.

"They're still tracking us," Alyx said distractedly, eyes on the ceiling. "We need to keep moving."

Pressing two fingers to a large blue button, she turned to face the opposite side of the shack, where a door opened up. Letting her lead the way, Gordon checked around the room for anything useful before turning to the doorway. His foot hit against something solid, and he cast his gaze down.

It was a garden gnome. Big bushy beard, the paint on his red hat fading at the tip. And it was smiling so cheerfully, hands tucked in his pockets without a care in the world. Gordon stared into its big, black eyes, almost mesmerised. Maybe he should take it with him. That would be a good idea. Take the gnome, carry him everywhere, to White Forest, and then-

"Gordon!"

He blinked, and looked up to see Alyx waiting for him in the doorway. "Uh… yeah?"

"What are you doing?"

His eyes whipping down and then back again, Gordon pointed downwards. "It's a gnome."

"…and?"

"And…" He looked down at the smiling face and suddenly realised the insanity of his thoughts. Suddenly finding the gnomes' inane open mouthed grin borderline infuriating, Gordon kicked it back into the shack. "…nothing, sorry. Let's go."

After staring at him for being the lunatic he probably was by this point, Alyx led the way into another mining tunnel, this one slanting down to the right. Light shone in through the large entrance at the bottom. Stepping through, Gordon took in the facility stretching out before them. A tall building was on the left, old painted writing plastered across the front, fading and chipped.

"Those buildings look like they've seen some use recently," Alyx murmured, waving her finger around.

Gordon nodded thoughtfully. "Mining…?"

"Looks that way."

It towered above a loading yard ahead of them, cargo trailers resting inert on the rails. Behind that was a large metal shed. Gordon could imagine a supervisor emerging from the closed doorway, checking up on the workers and shouting orders in… whatever language they spoke in whatever country this used to be.

The gates in front of the loading yard looked pretty solid, but a ridge heading up on the right could take them over and into the yard. Gordon pointed the way, and Alyx nodded. They walked up the ridge slowly, and Gordon took the opportunity to breath the relatively clean air. It only managed to hammer home just how murky and industrial City 17 had been.

"So… what's the plan? At White Forest, I mean."

Alyx looked down at her feet for a moment as they trudged up the steep incline. "Dr Magnusson has an old rocket up at White Forest. He's been hoping for the day he could launch a satellite to tap into the old array they set up at Black Mesa. But getting a launch off while the Combine was intact… there was just no way. I'm not sure how they'll use the satellite to shut down that portal, but… I guess we'll find out when we get there."

They walked for a few seconds longer before something that Alyx said sparked something in his head.

"The old array… you mean the rocket I launched?"

Memories flooded back to Gordon. Fighting his way through the soldiers, security guard at his side… what was her name? He could still remember the glint in her eye when the possibility of combat appeared. He also remembered saying goodbye to both her and the other security guard at the freezer gate. Oh God, him too? What was his name?

And yet her last words to him still echoed in his mind.

"_Remember we're down here, all right?"_

Gordon _had _remembered. That was why he had taken His offer; the possibility that he would be able to help them, to take them all from that hellhole. Instead, they would have died, alone and afraid, if not killed by Xen creatures or soldiers, then burned away by the nuclear blast.

"The one and the same," Alyx said, and Gordon blinked the thoughts away. The ache in his chest remained, however. They had reached the top of the ridge, and Alyx leapt down to the loading yard, gravel crunching beneath her feet. Taking a breath, Gordon jumped down and landed beside her.

She looked back to him for confirmation, and frowned. "Are you all right?"

Swallowing to parch his dry throat, Gordon tried to appear relaxed. "Hm?"

"You look, uh…" she studied his face with far more concern than he was comfortable with.

He waved the question away, trying his best not to look her in the eye. "It's just, uh… Black Mesa. Memories."

"Oh." Now she was the one who looked uncomfortable. "Sorry."

"It's all right, I just… I keep forgetting. And then remembering. Then I feel…" His already quiet voice shook in his throat, and he dropped his head, silently pleading with himself not to show anything more. The words faded along with his will to say them.

"You feel guilty that you forgot."

Whipping his gaze up to hers in surprise, Gordon's mouth hung upon for a moment before he replied. "Yes, I… that's it, exactly. I mean, I… all those people, I told them… there were these two security guards when I launched the rocket. I promised them they'd be all right. And I can't even remember their names." He sighed and shook his head. "Sorry. You… don't want to hear this. You've been through it, and I…"

"Yeah," she sighed. "I've been through it. But it's…"

Something touched against his wrist, and Gordon looked down to see Alyx's hand squeezing it gently. He was surprised he could even feel it through the HEV suit.

"…it's nice to know someone else went through it, too." She smiled, and opened her mouth to say something more when an alien cry unlike any Gordon had heard before echoed through the air. Their heads whipped up, weapons at the ready.

"What was that?" Alyx said quickly, her back to his.

A piercing, high pitched purr bounced around the walls of the loading yard, setting them even further on edge.

Gordon put his finger up in the air to make sure Alyx didn't speak. "We're not alone," he murmured.

A metal clanking followed, rapidly fading until it was inaudible. Whatever it was seemed to be leaving. After waiting a cautious few seconds, Gordon let the Gravity Gun drop down to his side, and looked over his shoulder at Alyx.

"Any idea what that was?"

She shook her head. "We'd better not wait around to find out." Her eyes drifted across the yard and to a metal gate opposite them, on the far side of the yard. They wandered over to it, moving around the huge mining trailers that sat patiently on rails as cautiously as possible, Gordon covering her back.

"Hey."

He glanced to her curiously.

"Can you figure out a way to get this gate open?"

Cautiously assured that nothing was going to leap out at the moment, Gordon looked to her, then to the gate. No buttons or any kind of controls. Wordlessly, he moved to the metal shed he had spotted earlier, that was now on his right. The door lacked any kind of handle, and was a thick metal; he doubted the crowbar or Alyx's gun could do much. With a shrug, Gordon blasted it with the Gravity Gun, only to be sent stumbling back from the force of the blast.

A frustrated breath escaped him. He peeked in through the murky windows, cupping a hand over his eyes to better see inside. It was a rather dark space, which only made the sunlight seeping in through the gaps in the ceiling all the more prominent. Gordon looked up and saw a few slivers of light squeezing through what looked like sheets of corrugated metal.

He backed up from the shed, eyes still on the roof, searching for a way up. Turning on the spot, his gaze fell on the two large mining trailers sitting on rails on his right. Thick metal frames had been set up around the trailers, which would have allowed the workers back in the day a view of what was inside. A ladder led up to the frames, and Gordon indicated to Alyx his course with nothing but a quick point of his fingers.

She nodded. "Careful up there. I'll keep watch out here."

Satisfied, and with the Gravity Gun wrapped around one hand, Gordon clambered up on top of the first metal frame and walked to the edge. It was parallel with the frame on the right that was clamped around another trailer, and Gordon had no trouble hopping over to it. From there, it was a relatively small jump to the roof of the large booth, the slant of which had Gordon walking very oddly.

Gravity Gun firmly grasped in both hands, Gordon pulled one of the metal sheets covering the hole in the roof towards him. He gently placed it aside before jumping down into the booth. An old light bulb flickered in a window on his right, giving a view of the small gap between the shed and the brick wall behind it.

Moving to the other side of the room, Gordon found a simple red button/green button control panel. He pushed the green button down with his palm, and watched as the gate outside slid up. Alyx, waiting by the gate, held her hand up in an 'ok' gesture.

"That worked," she called out, her voice sounding surprisingly distant through the thick glass of the window.

Gordon looked to the door he had been unable to unlock from the outside. It looked similarly immovable from in here. Casting his gaze back up to the hole in the ceiling, he saw it was too far up for him to even think about climbing out. There was nothing in here he could stack with the Gravity Gun, either.

Something caught his eye in the window looking out at the wall. Two luminescent blue lights, one above the other. The light bulb above them flickered, revealing a creature Gordon had only seen once before; the message from Mossman they had watched at the Citadel. A white, glistening shell protected mechanical apparatus around the two blue lights that were now obviously eyes. The rest of the body was a dark, silvery blue. Two long metal claws were retracted beneath the eyes, like a boxers' arms. Three legs, muscular and hooved like a bulls', only much bigger, one on either side of the head and another sprouting from the back. Aware that it had been spotted, the… thing, whatever it was, quickly darted out of sight.

"Gordon, there's something snooping around out here."

Panicking, Gordon looked for some way out. Something he could blow the doors or the windows with. There was a metal bar on the floor holding a maintenance hatch shut, maybe he could throw that at the windows and-

Moving faster than his brain could keep up with, Gordon yanked the bar from the two metal hoops keeping the metal hatch door closed and slipped down beneath the shed. It led to a crawlspace that took him to the right, around the back of the shed and then to the front.

He moved and shuffled as quickly as he could, swiping angrily at the cobwebs and squinting at the bits of dirt that bounced up into his eyes. Gordon rounded the corner, and could see the loading yard from his low angle. The Gravity Gun was snagged on the corner behind him, and he struggled to dislodge it or unwrap the leather strap from his wrist.

Alyx was in the middle of the yard, eyes searching the area around her. The huge alien thing landed behind her, knocking her to the ground.

Alyx's voice was a panicked whisper. "Oh my God-"

It was twice her height, and pursued like a feral animal as she crawled towards Gordon. The two claws Gordon has seen earlier burst through Alyx's abdomen, just below her ribcage, and she cried out with a finality that chilled Gordon's bones. The tiniest flecks of blood spattered against his HEV suit.

"No-" he managed, reaching out with his free left hand.

The alien thing relaxed its claws, letting her drop to the ground before rearing up a leg and smashing it down on the concrete above his head. It caved in on him, pinning him down. He tried to get up, using his free left arm as leverage. A large chunk of concrete collided with the back of his head, pressing his face to the filthy ground and leaving his head spinning.

He could only watch, his vision blurring like some terrible hallucination as Alyx, half-dead, desperately tried to crawl away from the alien thing. Her back was to him the entire time.

"Help me," she gasped, her voice barely above a whisper. The creature stamped a powerful leg down on her side, and Alyx went limp. Gordon's vision faded as he watched the alien thing study her like a curious dog, rolling over her body with its leg and tilting its head to the side.

The last thing he heard before the hazy blackness took him was Alyx's voice, weaker than he had ever heard it. As though saying the words was all the effort she could manage.

"Gordon… help…"

A clicking noise brought him back to consciousness with a start, and Gordon's head whipped up as best it could. The back of his head stung, though the pain was quickly receding. The creature was gone. Alyx was still there, lying just out of reach, her body limp and her face resting away from him.

Grunting, he tried to move, and found that he truly couldn't. He was stuck. Slamming his left hand down onto the ground, he tried to find something, _anything_ to pull himself out with, but found nothing.

The source of the earlier clicking revealed itself in the form of an antlion, wings twitching as it scampered over to Alyx. It studied her for a moment, then seemed to look at him.

"No…" he said frantically, his voice a low growl as he writhed and struggled, desperately trying to stop what was about happen.

But then another low growl, much deeper than anything he could manage, emerged from the right. The antlion reared up, its claws raised to stab down through Alyx. A blast of green light made Gordon wince. When his eyes opened again, he saw the antlion flailing about on its back, random buzzes of electricity slicing over its form. Finally, it managed to right itself, and hissed at the newcomer.

It was a Vortigaunt, that same deep growl thundering from its brown, scaly throat. It stepped around Alyx, putting itself between the antlion and her. The antlion leapt at the Vortigaunt, stabbing down with its claws. Easily grabbing both limbs, the Vortigaunt tossed the smaller creature over its shoulder and slammed it into the ground. Keeping it pinned with one hand, the Vortigaunt raised another, a ball of green energy gathering in its palm.

With a cry in a language Gordon didn't understand, the Vortigaunt slammed down its hand. The antlion exploded, yellow blood bursting out across the yard. Taking only a moment to pause, the Vortigaunt turned and knelt beside Alyx.

It raised a hand over her body, and a green glow hummed to life from its palm. For a moment, Gordon panicked and tried once more to free himself. But then he saw the Vortigaunt run the hand gently up and down, like a scan.

It growled thoughtfully, its voice exactly the same as the other Vortigaunts Gordon had met since coming to City 17. A deep, throaty voice, with an air of wisdom and a surprising gentility that belied the fact that Gordon had been forced to fight so many of them to the death back at Black Mesa.

"The Alyx Vance…" it mused, resting an arm on its' leg in a disarmingly human gesture. "What harm has come…?"

Gordon tried again to move, though this time he settled for waving his hand, getting the Vortigaunt's attention. Its red eye flitted up to him casually, like someone who had just recognised an old friend across the street.

"Ah, the Freeman," it purred, "I am pleased to see at least you are unharmed." Red eye falling on Alyx, it shook its head sadly. "But the Alyx Vance… her condition is grave."

It leapt to its feet and held out its clawed hands to either side, gathering green electricity. It was a technique Gordon had seen many times before. He closed his eyes and ducked down, wrapping his left arm over his head in time for the blast of energy to shoot over him, reducing the chunks of concrete to dust.

Gordon scrambled to his feet in an instant, frantically untangling the Gravity Gun strap from his arm before skidding to a kneeling halt beside Alyx's gut-wrenchingly still form.

"Alyx…" He reached to her face, her neck, but hesitated. Could he touch her? Would it hurt her if he touched her? They needed to move her, didn't they? Could that hurt her?

"God…" he whispered, then looked up to the Vortigaunt desperately. "Can you help?"

The Vortigaunt tilted its head to the side, as though unsure. "Healing her will require more than I alone can conjure. Let me summon my kin."

It walked to the middle of the loading bay, and Gordon's attention flickered from it to Alyx and then back again.

Cupping its hands in front of its face, the Vortigaunt let out a cry that oscillated rather than echoed through the air. It felt like it vibrated through Gordon's entire body instead of just his ears. From somewhere in the forest that stretched out before them, a similar Vortigaunt cry came back, sounding like a question.

The conversation went on for a little longer, but Gordon's attention was back on Alyx. God, she was so pale. He reached out with a tentative gloved hand, finally touching her cheek with the very tips of his fingers. "Please be okay."

Its communication apparently over, the Vortigaunt crouched down on the other side of Alyx, eye to eye with Gordon.

"My kin will meet us at a sheltered location beneath the surface. We must move her there quickly." Spindly arms reached down towards Alyx, and the Vortigaunt paused to look up at him, as though checking for permission. "I will stabilise her, if the Freeman will provide us with protection."

He nodded, hurriedly scooping up the Gravity Gun and once more entwining the leather strap around his wrist. Looking back to the Vortigaunt, he saw it scoop up Alyx, its long arms almost wrapping around her as it held her up with an ease belying the spindly arms.

"Let us hurry, Freeman. Help awaits us in the mines."

"Right," he said breathlessly, leading the way through the gate and into the mining complex. Hopefully there would be a lift somewhere they could take down, and then the Vortigaunt would know where to go.

That was a lot of 'hopefully's.

antlions fluttered and buzzed overhead in different directions, apparently ignorant to their presence. The pathway turned abruptly to the left, and Gordon followed it around. A fence on the right ran along until the wall at the end of the passageway, and Gordon tried to ignore the antlions racing past on the other side, heading for a hole in the wall that looked as though it had been dissolved away.

"We must hasten," the Vortigaunt urged quietly. "Her state is delicate."

Reaching the end of the passageway, they found an old elevator waiting for them in the building on the left. The kind of elevator with no walls or doors, just old rusting guardrails and the whims of God deciding whether you survived or not. A lot like his life in general, really. The elevator car itself was jammed halfway down the ledge in front of them, leaving Gordon just enough room to slip inside. It didn't look particularly safe.

"Perhaps the Freeman can restore this elevator's functionality," his new companion said calmly, stating it as more of a fact than a question.

He looked to the Vortigaunt, to Alyx, then to the elevator. Taking a breath, he slipped inside, the Gravity Gun clanking against the roof of the cramped elevator as he did so.

"Use care, Freeman."

"Will do," he mumbled. The whole thing creaked and jerked the moment his boots made contact with the grated floor. Breathlessly, his gaze became locked on the wall, as though even moving his eyes would jostle the lift. Gradually, the creaking subsided, and Gordon allowed himself a breath of relief. He looked up to the Vortigaunt with a relieved smile.

"It's o-"

With a metallic crash, something above his head snapped, and the elevator plunged into the darkness below. Gordon grabbed the guardrails on either side of him as sparks flew from the brakes lodged into the corners beneath the elevator. He heard the vague echo of the Vortigaunt shouting his name, but the screeching and groaning of the metal around him drowned it out.

Finally, and with far less force than Gordon was expecting, the elevator crashed to a halt at the bottom of the shaft. Murky light poured in from the wooden corridor in front of him, and Gordon was once more reminded of Ravenholm. At least there was light here.

"Freeman! Are you well?"

Coughing from the cloud of dust that billowed up from beneath him, Gordon waved his hand around before banging it down on the metal guardrail beside him. "Fine, just… dusty."

"Then press on, Freeman, if you are able. I will take her to my kin by another path."

Nodding even though he knew the Vortigaunt couldn't see him, Gordon heaved himself to his feet, rubbing the dust from his hair.

"Take care of her," he said loudly, trying and failing to see around the dented metal roof of the elevator.

"Indeed," it said simply, voice echoing down to him.

Gordon took a few steps into the corridor before looking back to the elevator shaft. "Where am I…" he sighed, knowing the Vortigaunt was gone. "…going…"

He turned and looked into the shadowy abyss beyond. Taking a deep breath, he moved onwards into the mines.

Unlike Ravenholm, the population of the mines included not just zombies, but antlions as well. Although, much to his relief, the only remnants he found of both were exactly that. Dead bodies, the occasional limb left carelessly to lie in the corner of the dusty tunnels. The occasional buzz of antlions set him on edge, but none appeared.

After what felt like fifteen minutes of aimless wandering through deserted tunnels and dropping down through ominously smooth holes in the floor, Gordon eventually came upon a tunnel that was unlike those he had seen before. It looked like it was made of cobwebs, though much smoother. Gordon guessed he would have to crouch down to get through.

Eyes on the new tunnel, he didn't notice the slug creature on the floor until he had stepped on it, crushing it completely. It let out a low squeal of protest as it died. Looking down, Gordon saw the flattened remains of what looked like a giant grub. Lifting his foot, he frowned at the thick, sticky goo that trailed off from the creature. It seemed to be glowing, though the light had dimmed considerably since its death.

Casting his gaze around, he saw more on the walls and a few more on the ceiling. He rubbed his foot on the floor beside the deceased grub, and shrugged down at it.

"Sorry," he mumbled.

A shriek of protest echoed down from his left, and Gordon's gaze whipped over in time to see a spray of white liquid arching through the air towards him, droplets as big as his head hurtling down. He turned and leapt, rolling back behind the cover of the tunnel he had just emerged from. The liquid landed on the floor, bubbling and sizzling against the ground and melting a good section of it away.

That was acid. Something had just thrown acid at him. Gripping both handles on the Gravity Gun as tightly as possible, Gordon slowly peered around the corner. What he initially thought was an antlion shot out at him, and he withdrew his head with only the slightest of girly yelps, rolling and scrambling to his feet. Whirling around with the Gravity Gun, Gordon brought it to bear on the antlion.

Only to be confronted by something completely different. Though it was the same size and made similar sounds, it wasn't an antlion. Or at least, it wasn't any kind of antlion he had ever seen before. It was a paler green, more natural. A large head sprouted from the end of a long body, the four legs long and intertwining back on themselves in a complicated way that seemed terribly inefficient to Gordon. Two thin, long wings were attached to the middle of the antlions' body, though Gordon couldn't help but wonder just how much they actually helped with flight.

What really had his attention at the moment was the white droplets of acid falling from the creature's mouth, leaving the smallest of holes in the ground. Gordon stepped cautiously to the right, then back to the left. It was following him. No, more than that, mirroring him. Like it was trying to stop him from…

Realisation dawned, and he glanced to the dead grub behind the antlion.

He closed his eyes and sighed. "Protecting your young…"

By way of response, it lurched back with a hiss, gathering more acid before spitting it out. Gordon leapt to the side, rolling and coming up in kneeling position. He blasted the antlion, sending it hurtling over onto its back. It flailed uselessly, hissing and flapping its wings in a vain attempt to escape. Not entirely proud of himself, Gordon continued blasting the antlion until it was dead, lying peacefully on its back.

"Sorry," he said again, still not feeling like it was enough.

He moved on, walking though the cobweb tunnel. He ran his hand along their surface as he went, and found it far more solid then he had been expecting. He emerged out into an enormous chasm that almost literally took his breath away. The rock was a dark, cool blue. Water dripped somewhere in the distance, the sound echoing off the walls and surrounding him. His footsteps did much the same as he walked along a rocky cliff-side path. He couldn't see anything down below, just darkness.

His eyes on anything _but _the path, he ended up crushing several more grubs.

Following the path took him through more of the cobweb tunnels (more grubs squashed) and into dark caves that looked as though they had been undisturbed by man for some time before the creatures from Xen started moving in. Any antlions he came across here launched themselves at him only to skid into the deep lake separating them and fumble uselessly, splashing in every direction before going limp and sinking beneath the still waters.

Edging his way around the lake, Gordon circumnavigated several more underground canyons and caves, feeling more like a scientist devoted to wildlife than a misplaced theoretical physicist. True, a scientist devoted to wildlife that _killed _everything he came across, but still. The point still stood.

Eventually finding his way into another yellowy cobweb tunnel, lit by grubs that seemed to deliberately position themselves beneath his boots, Gordon began to worry that he was well and truly lost. Every turning just led to more of the same tunnels, and his back began to ache after the seventh or so turning.

His jaw set in frustration. This was going to take awhile, and he really couldn't afford to get lost. There wasn't the time, not with Alyx in the state she was. He and Alyx… it was the longest consistent period of time he had spent with someone in… well, a long time. Seeing her lying on the floor like that, blood seeping through her shirt, her skin pale…

Gordon sighed, and shook his head. She was a sneaky one. Without him even noticing, she had managed to become one of the most important people in his life.

He hoped she was going to be all right. He really did.

* * *

(A/N: So, yeah. I like to think that Race X was an advanced Combine scout party. I remember thinking of the Race X/Combine connection and being incredibly proud of myself, only to Google it and realise that plenty of other people had come up with the same theory. Ah, well. I like it. Gives Shephard's story more importance in the whole grand scheme of things, I think. Of course, there'll probably be a line in Episode Three that completely debunks that theory in every way, so I'm going to enjoy it while I can.

Anyway, hope you enjoyed. Either way, reviews please!

_Next Chapter: This Vortal Coil_)


	7. This Vortal Coil

Disclaimer: I don't own _Half-Life._

(A/N: I recommend listening to 'Vortal Combat' at the appropriate moment. If nothing else, it's probably the best track of music in all of _Half-Life_.)

_**Aftermath**_

_**Chapter Seven: This Vortal Coil**_

Just as exasperation was setting in and he was going to sit down in abject misery, Gordon turned one last corner and spotted a darkened spot at the end of the tunnel. A hole in the ground. Scrambling on all fours, Gordon excitedly looked down into it. A rail for mine carts ran along below him. A human tunnel! While there was no guarantee this would lead anywhere useful, at least it wasn't an old cave or a weird alien tunnel made of what he _hoped _was web.

He dropped himself down without hesitation. An alarm sounded almost immediately, and his head dropped dejectedly.

"Sheckley! We got ant-lions!"

The panicky voiced squeaked on 'ant', reassuring Gordon that he wasn't in the presence of Combine soldiers. Or if he was, prepubescent soldiers. Looking up to the end of the tunnel, he saw a rebel rushing towards him, MP7 machinegun in hand. Letting the Gravity Gun hang loosely by his side, Gordon put a surrendering hand up in the air.

The rebel stopped abruptly in front of him, looking confused as to why the expected ant-lion was in fact a skinny man wearing a strange orange and black suit.

Another rebel (Sheckley, presumably) appeared at the mouth of the tunnel, machinegun resting on his shoulder and staring tiredly at the back of his comrade's head. "You idiot, that's Gordon Freeman. The Vortigaunt said he was on the way."

With a tight smile, Gordon nodded at the younger rebel. Although, Gordon couldn't help but notice, this man was older than him by at least ten years. Scratching his short black hair, the man nervously nodded back, eyes once again scanning the tunnel behind Gordon. Something about his demeanour seemed young, however. His thin whisper of a moustache certainly did nothing to add maturity to his face, and the medic patch on his arm didn't do much to increase Gordon's confidence.

"Dr Freeman," the Sheckley called out, "Alyx Vance is over here. The Vort's trying to patch her up."

As soon as he heard her name, Gordon was running out of the tunnel and into the open chamber beyond. It was large, stretching out in a cylinder that was far taller than wide. Floodlights had been erected beside each three tunnels around the chamber, bathing the entrances in an artificially bright spotlight. There was a mining tunnel on the far left side of the chamber, with one more just beside the one Gordon had emerged from. On the wall on the far right, Gordon could see a hole that looked as though it been dissolved away, presumably by one of the acid throwing ant-lions he had encountered before. Beside each tunnel was what looked like traffic lights, through all three bulbs seemed to be on red.

A walkway ran all the way around the chamber, concrete around the perimeter while a wide metal gantry in front of him slanted downwards, leading to an old metal elevator shaft. It towered above him, leading to a platform that seemed pretty tiny from his perspective. As Gordon approached, he saw through the latticework of the metal that the chamber also plunged down into the darkness below to God knew what depths.

And there, lying on a metal table just in front of the closed elevator doors, was Alyx, bathed in the green glow of the Vortigaunts hands. Its red eye flitted up to him, and the closest approximation of a smile it could manage wrinkled its entire head.

"Ah, Freeman. It is well."

Relief rose in Gordon. "She's going to be okay?"

Taking a breath, it cast a sad look down at her. "The Alyx Vance clings to the margins. My kin are still some distance away." Looking back up, the Vortigaunt stared at him with a determination Gordon hadn't seen from them since Black Mesa. "For now we _must not _be disturbed."

Gordon nodded. Their silent agreement was interrupted by Sheckley clearing his throat. The Vortigaunt returned its attention to Alyx while Sheckley spoke, rubbing the back of his head. It was only then that Gordon really took him in, noticing itchy stubble bristling across a craggy face that seemed to say that not much surprised this man.

"Yeah, well, about that…" He cleared his throat abruptly, brightening a little as he changed the subject. "As long as you're down here, Freeman, maybe you could give us a hand."

Looking at Alyx pensively, Gordon nodded.

"C'mon," Sheckley urged, putting a hand on his shoulder, "let me show you how the ant-lion sensors work."

His eyes clung to Alyx's still form for a few moments more before he turned, following Sheckley up to the tunnel he had emerged from. The younger rebel was waiting up there as well, fiddling with what Gordon took a moment to recognise as a Combine turret. There were two, though they had been painted with differing levels of success. One was plastered with black and yellow stripes, while the other had a shark's face in profile adorning the side. Both were waiting at the mouth of the tunnel.

The younger rebel finished up his work as Sheckley passed, and the turret whirred to life, scanning from side to side down the tunnel ahead.

Sheckley tapped the side of the traffic light beside the tunnel. "This sensor will light if an ant-lion is coming down this tunnel. More lights means more ant-lions. When a tunnel lights up, we move a few turrets in front of it."

Nodding, Gordon looked between the different tunnels. The one he was in front of was labelled '36' in big white painted letters above the entrance. The tunnel next door was '12', and the one on the far side of the chamber was '24'. There wasn't a number for the hole in the wall created by intruding ant-lions, though there _was _a set of traffic lights.

He looked back to Sheckley, expecting more. When Sheckley was silent, Gordon cocked a curious eyebrow. "Anything else?"

"Nope, that's it," Sheckley laughed. "Pretty simple, eh, Doc?"

"Hey, Doc…" the younger rebel slowly said, "…on your way here… you weren't followed, were you?"

Panicking, Gordon looked over at Alyx, then the tunnel he had come from. "I, uh… followed? I don't…"

Sheckley, meanwhile, was waving a dismissive hand. "Don't listen to him, Doc. We're on edge because this place is riddled with ant-lions."

Shrugging and smiling nervously, the younger man cleared his throat before speaking. "The Vort says as long as we don't step on their grubs, they shouldn't hear us this far from the nest."

Gordon did his best not to look down at the slimy grub stains on his boots. "Oh."

"Yeah, well, that's a theory I'd rather not test," Sheckley said pointedly, aiming it towards the younger rebel under a thinly veiled 'shut up' tone. After fixing him with a stare, the older rebels' gaze swung over to Gordon. "We're down to our last two turrets, and even these are held together by baling wire and duct tape at this point. Nice to have 'em in a pinch, but I wouldn't exactly trust 'em with my life."

Glancing between the turrets, then to his Gravity Gun, Gordon finally settled his gaze on Sheckley. "Do you have any guns?"

After checking Gordon up and down as though only then noticing that he was unarmed, Sheckley smiled and nodded. "Hey Griggs, you might want to show Doctor Freeman where we keep all our supplies, huh?"

Griggs nodded back down the metal gantry. "Oh, yeah. Down there by the Vort. Everything you need for doctorin'. We've got ammo crates for shotguns and MP7s up here, too."

Directed by Griggs' eye, Gordon only then noticed the green metal crate beside the tunnel with the silhouette of a shotgun plastered on the side. Casting his gaze across to the other side of the chamber, he saw another green crate in front of tunnel 24. He moved down to Alyx and the Vortigaunt, forcibly stopping himself from staring at her while he looked for a gun.

Unwrapping the Gravity Gun from his wrist, he put it gently in the corner. It wouldn't be much help to him here. He never thought he would even _think_ these words, but… what he needed now was a gun. Shotguns and MP7s were stacked in one corner, while medpacks rested in the other. Gordon checked his stats, and was satisfied to see he was at just below half power. Not happy, but satisfied.

Gordon scooped up a shotgun, and was on his way back up the ramp when he saw Alyx's head move, loosely drooping to the other side. He walked over to her and reached out, but stopped before he touched her, looking to the Vortigaunt.

"Can she hear me?"

The Vortigaunt's upper eye flitted over to him before returning down to Alyx. "It can only help."

Tentatively, Gordon crouched down at the head of the table, his hand gripping the edge just beside Alyx's head.

"I, uh…" he cleared his throat self-consciously, and looked around to make sure Griggs and Sheckley were still at the tunnel. The Vortigaunt was distracting enough, not to mention the luminescent green pulsing from its hands.

"I still can't remember their names," he said softly, irrationally fearful that he would wake her up. "Those people at Black Mesa, I mean. The ones I was telling you about? I'm trying, I just… I met so many people, there and here, and…" he swallowed loudly, his throat dry. "They all… they're dead now."

Hesitant fingers hovering over her hair, Gordon finally allowed himself to lightly touch the top of her head. "I don't want to… it would be bad if…" He sighed. "Don't die."

An alarm blurted out from above, and Gordon's head dropped just a little, his eyes closed in frustration.

"One light!" Sheckley called out. "They're coming!"

"I've… got to go shoot things now," he whispered, forehead resting on hers. After just one more moment to prepare himself, Gordon took a deep breath and launched to his feet, running up the ramp and to tunnel 36, just on his left. Red blazed from the top circle of the traffic lights, the alarm pulsing a few more times before cutting out abruptly.

Gordon kicked open the top of the shotgun crate as he heard the two turrets open fire. Yanking out a red box of shells, Gordon loaded up and pumped the shotgun, moving out into the mouth of the tunnel. Looking around, though, he saw Griggs and Sheckley just watching the turrets do their work.

Casting his gaze far down the tunnel, he saw ant-lions digging themselves out of the ground and attempting to launch themselves towards him. They were all the regular ant-lions, none of the acid spitting variety. The high speed bullets from the two turrets left them dead before they had even reached them. After a few more minutes of this, the ant-lion barrage ceased, and the turrets were quiet once more.

"We'll be okay as long as they stick to one tunnel," Griggs said, before giving him a funny look. "Hey, doc… we were just tellin' ya that the ant-lions were comin'. You didn't think we needed you, did ya?"

Taking a breath to deliver an instinctively sarcastic reply, Gordon was interrupted by the blaring of more alarms. One light at the hole in the wall, two at tunnel 12.

"We've got the breach," Sheckley, said, nodding for Griggs to follow him. "Dr Freeman, you take care of the turrets."

Taken aback slightly by the sudden influx of activity, Gordon stood around uselessly for a few moments before snapping himself out of it and grabbing a turret with one hand. They were surprisingly light, considering how deadly they were. Probably why they were so easy to knock over. Gordon placed both in front of tunnel 12, and watched rather contentedly as they annihilated the ant-lions that emerged at the far end of the tunnel. They _did _manage to get worryingly close, however, and some even managed to sneak through.

His shotgun dissuaded them pretty quickly, however. Checking over his shoulder, Gordon saw Griggs and Sheckley on the opposite side of the chamber, their machineguns blazing. They worked well together as a team, covering each other when they needed to reload and signalling with the barest of nods and glances. Gordon's chest hurt a little as he looked down at Alyx.

The lights blinked off, and they were plunged into silence again. It was now just a matter of waiting for more ant-lions. While Gordon looked around, he saw that both Griggs and Sheckley were still stood at the breach, their weapons aimed inside.

"Sheckley," Griggs said excitedly.

"What?"

"Sheckley!"

"_WHAT?"_

"…forget it."

Alarms went off, and this time all four tunnels lit up. One light on 12, 24 and the breach, and two on 36.

"Oh God, they're coming from everywhere!" Griggs screeched, running with Sheckley to 36.

Leaving one of the turrets at 12, Gordon ran to 24 with the other, depositing it there before heading over to the breach, scooping up the box of shotgun shells as he went. The alarms continued blaring for a few seconds more before suddenly vanishing, replaced by the scuttling of ant-lions legs heading towards them.

In the ensuing carnage, Gordon reloaded faster than even he would have thought possible. Because the hole was so small, it was like the ant-lions were all queuing up for the opportunity to be shot to hell. The others weren't having much fun with their tunnel, though the turrets seemed to be managing well enough.

Finally, silence descended once more. Gordon, realising he had managed to empty the box of shells in that last attack, moved over to the shotgun crate next to Sheckley.

Breathless, Sheckley turned to Griggs. "You see a bug on me, how you about you try and get if off me next time, huh?"

"I didn't see it!" he said defensively, his voice going up several octaves.

"Yeah, no, sure. They're only like five feet tall!"

Abandoning that line of argument, Griggs looked over to Gordon, who had just finished loading the shotgun. "No offence, Freeman, but things were pretty quiet until you showed up."

"I think that all the time," Gordon sighed, eliciting a smile from Sheckley.

Alarms sounded again, this time with two lights on 12, one on 36, and one at the breach.

"We've got this one," Sheckley said, nodding to tunnel 36 in front of them.

Remembering his experience at the breach last time, Gordon moved one of the turrets there and kept the other with him while he defended tunnel 12. The alarms disappeared, and Gordon once more found himself firing away faster than he had ever thought possible, even with the help of the turret. Two lights really was tricky. Luckily, he had remembered to take a box of shotgun shells with him, though he still found his shoulders slumping when the attack ceased.

He heard Sheckley chuckle to himself before shouting over, "Hey, Griggs, maybe I should leave some for you, huh?"

"Hey, I got… ten!"

"Yeah, well, we all got ten, there's hundreds of 'em!"

"'We all get ten, there's hundreds of 'em'," Griggs mimicked, putting on a high pitched voice and flapping his hand like a mouth. "Well, at least there can't be many more."

"What the hell makes you think that?"

As though in answer, the tunnels lit up again, one light on each. Gordon tilted his head in acceptance. One light on each wasn't so bad. Leaving the turrets where they were, Gordon moved to 24, the only tunnel undefended, taking the half empty box of shells with him. A troubled look crossed his face when he saw just how many dead ant-lions littered the tunnels.

The light disappeared and the alarms vanished. Ant-lions appeared, and Gordon started shooting. It was all going rather smoothly, though he _did _have to duck a few mid-air charges from some of the ant-lions. Griggs' girly shrieks didn't do much to aid his concentration either. But, all in all, things were-

"Oh, no!" Griggs cried out, "That turret just went kaput!"

Eyes wide but not being able to take his eyes of the oncoming ant-lion storm, Gordon glanced over his shoulder at the turret beside the breach. Sparks sputtered from every seam, smoke belching out from the top before the entire thing burst into flames. Luckily, the light at the breach had gone out, so there were no escaping ant-lions left.

Gordon blasted the last of the creatures coming at him down his tunnel, and turned to the turret he had left at 12. The red light was out at the tunnel, the attack successfully repelled. But the turret was going up in smoke, eliciting a loud, frustrated groan from Sheckley.

"Last turret just broke!"

The silence that followed made Gordon nervous, and he reloaded his shotgun again. His worried gaze fell on Alyx, and he silently pumped the rifle in his hands.

"Oh God, what now?" Griggs wailed.

Sheckley was nowhere near as worried, though his stern expression didn't make Gordon feel any better. "We do our job. We gotta defend the Vort."

The simplicity and confidence of the statement made Gordon smile, if only slightly. Alarms sounded.

"Three lights!" Sheckley announced, running to Gordon's tunnel. "We got three lights!"

They were quickly joined by Griggs, frantically staring down the tunnel. "Why are there so many? I think we misunderestimated!"

As the alarms continued to chime, Gordon took several steps back until he was standing on the ramp leading down to Alyx and the Vortigaunt. If any got past Griggs and Sheckley, they sure as hell weren't getting past him.

Sheckley cricked his neck. "Look alive!"

Griggs was hunched so severely that from Gordon's perspective he looked like he didn't have a neck. "Get ready… oh God, get ready! Three lights! This is gonna be bad…"

The lights vanished, as did the alarms. And yet… no ant-lions. No sounds of digging, no flutter of oversized wings. Just… silence.

Bright green light flashed on a patch of floor halfway down the tunnel. Cautiously stepping forward, Gordon saw that it was coming from a hole in the roof of the tunnel, flashing and crackling like lightning. The limp body of an ant-lion tumbled down through the hole, thumping to the ground of the tunnel and kicking up dirt.

A Vortigaunt leapt down to the ground, nimbly landing in a crouch before moving out of the way for two more behind it.

One of the most relived sighs Gordon had ever heard escaped Sheckley as he spoke. "Hey, it's the Vorts, they made it!"

"Yeah, yeah, I knew it," Griggs said shakily, wiping sweat from his forehead, "I was just trying to scare you, Sheck."

The last Vortigaunt moved around its kin, and looked on Gordon with great pleasure, clasping its hands together like an artist admiring a masterpiece. "Ah… the Freeman. Our delay - regrettable. We killed many ant-lions… yet many more remain."

"We must attend to the Alyx Vance," the other Vort called out from its place beside Alyx, and Gordon moved aside to allow the aliens to do their work.

"There is no time," the new Vortigaunt said urgently, cutting a hand through the air. "More ant-lions approach. We shall… quiet them."

The trio of aliens took up positions around the chamber as the alarms sounded. All of them. Every single light on every tunnel blared out.

"Oh shit, the whole place is lit up!" Griggs cried, retreating to the bottom of the ramp with Sheckley. They each took a side of the elevator shaft behind Alyx and the Vortigaunt.

Casting a circling look around the chamber, Gordon's eyes eventually fell on Alyx, her eyes closed, face aglow from the green energy of the Vortigaunts' hands. Helpless, like he had never seen her before. Even when she was captive in the Citadel, she had been struggling, fighting. Giving him hope without even realising, that maybe he wasn't alone against all these odds.

He was Gordon Freeman, and he would be damned if she was going to die because of him.

Jaw set, he strode down the ramp, moving around the breathless Griggs.

"I'm not even supposed to be here," Sheckley grumbled from the other side of the elevator shaft, and Gordon couldn't help a grim smile as he picked up an MP7.

Checking the gun was loaded, Gordon moved back up the ramp, heading for tunnel 24. He tossed the MP7 along the floor until it clanked against the bottom of the floodlight between the mouths of tunnels 24 and 36. Jaw set, Gordon clamped his hand around the pump of the shotgun.

The alarms stopped.

Ant-lions crawled out of the ground into the dark tunnels.

And then it began.

A horde of ant-lions swarmed into the room, coming from all four directions. Griggs and Sheckley let out something halfway between a roar and a frightened cry, machineguns blazing.

Electricity crackled through the air, accompanied by guttural cries in the Vortigaunt language.

Griggs' voice echoed out through the din of buzzing wings and machinegun fire. "Jesus, I've never seen the Vorts this pissed!"

An ant-lion flew out at him, and Gordon blasted it away. Another came at him from the side, tackling him to the ground. Jagged teeth dove down for his neck when the ant-lion exploded in a burst of yellow blood. The remnants of green electricity sparked through the air in front of him. He looked over to see a Vortigaunt by the mouth of tunnel 12 facing him, though it was quickly distracted by further ant-lions.

Gordon rolled to the side and into a standing position, blasting another ant-lion coming from tunnel 24. Another from 36, then two more from 24 again. One attempted to hurtle over his head, heading for Alyx. Leaping onto his back, Gordon caught it in midair. He scrambled to his feet, head whipping about the chamber.

More ant-lions poured from every direction. The Vortigaunts moved with a swiftness and speed belying the carnage around them. They lashed out with spindly claws and tossed ant-lions aside like wrestlers. Orbs of green energy clutched in their palms exploded violently as they were slammed down on snarling enemies.

"Eat the Vortessence, you bug bastards!" Sheckley cried out, almost whooping.

Griggs laughed. "Those bugs sure messed with the wrong slugs!"

Gordon's final three shells were quickly spent on a swathe of ant-lions, eventually leaving him to fend them off with the butt of his rifle. An ant-lion slashed down with two claws, and Gordon caught both with the length of the shotgun. He kicked the creature away and rolled towards the floodlight, snatching up the MP7 he had left there.

Gordon fired in a wide spray, taking out three ant-lions. More came from behind at tunnel 36, and Gordon whirled around to meet them. A snarling Vortigaunt leapt into the fray, grabbing one ant-lion and swinging it around into a group of its brethren. An ant-lion flew at the back of the Vort's head, and Gordon blasted it out of air.

The Vortigaunt gave him a nod of acknowledgement before returning to work. Peering over to the other side of the chamber, he saw yet more ant-lions pouring out of the breach. Gordon sprinted over, MP7 blazing as he leapt over ant-lion bodies and skidding to a halt in front of the broken hole in the wall. He held the trigger down as he slowly waved the gun back and forth, smearing yellow blood into the cave beyond.

He heard Sheckley cry out, and whirled around to see him clutching his leg, an ant-lion bringing up another claw to attack. Griggs was by his side instantly, blasting the creature away before tending to his comrade's wounds. Three more ant-lions converged below, moving towards Alyx and the Vortigaunt.

Gordon's MP7 was spent. He tossed it away as he mounted the guardrail overlooking the gantry below. Yanking out the crowbar, he leapt down, aiming to land on the closest ant-lion. A noise halfway between a crunch and a squelch accompanied his landing, yellow blood squeezing out the sides of the crushed ant-lion. Gordon dove forward, rolling on the ground and coming up with crowbar drawn, putting himself between the ant-lions and Alyx.

He slashed through the head of one ant-lion, then bringing the crowbar down on another. Another ant-lion cut at the back of his leg, and he collapsed to one knee before bringing the crowbar around to parry another ant-lion claw. With a cry that surprised him, Gordon brought the crowbar down on the ant-lion again and again, bludgeoning it until the head was nothing but yellow paste.

A shadow loomed over him, and Gordon whirled around, crowbar gripped in both hands, ready to swing.

Griggs shrieked and put his hands up. "Whoa, Freeman! It's me!"

His breathing heavy, Gordon just stared at him for a few mindless seconds, his brain knowing nothing but killing ant-lions. Then he blinked, and realised the chamber was silent again.

"Uh… sorry."

Looking suitably shaken by the encounter, Griggs backed away. "Yeah… sure…" He then turned and moved to the wounded Sheckley, finishing his work on the wounded leg.

The Vortigaunts were strolling down the ramp towards them, as though this were just another day at work. It probably was, for them.

Finally getting control of his breathing, Gordon looked to the Vortigaunt leading the group towards Alyx.

"It's over?"

The Vort nodded. "We have exhausted their immediate number. Now to the next matter of urgency; the Alyx Vance."

The three aliens moved around the table, one stood on each side. Placing their hands out in front of them, an oddly calming green glow emanated out from their palms, bathing Alyx completely. Gordon slipped away the crowbar, relieved at the idea that soon, Alyx would be opening her eyes, talking, joking… but most of all just being alive. Alive was good.

It was the Vortigaunt that had rescued Alyx that spoke first. "Her injuries are grave. This will require deep submersion in the Vortessence."

"Indeed…" another Vort said.

"We require… the larval extract."

This prompted a loud cacophony of agreement, the Vorts practically talking over each other, their voices inordinately pleased.

"Ah, yes!"

"The extract!"

"The ex-tract...!"

"Yes."

"Agreed."

Gordon cocked an eyebrow and looked at Griggs and Sheckley, who just shrugged cluelessly.

The first Vortigaunt moved back from Alyx, the glow from its hands subsiding. "I will make the journey to seek the extract deep within the nest, in the sacred Nectarium. But I cannot hope to bring it back alone."

"We must remain to keep the Alyx Vance alive," the Vort opposite growled.

Gordon suddenly found himself under the intense scrutiny of the first Vortigaunt, hands together pleadingly.

"Please, Freeman. Join me."

This concept seemed to please the Vortigaunts as much as larval extract, if not more.

"Yes, take the Freeman!"

"Yes…"

"There is no finer companion."

"Just so."

"Well stated."

Words didn't come easily to him in that moment, his eyes focused on Alyx's very still body. He glanced back and forth between her and the Vortigaunt that made the request, its big red eye pleading without any words.

He took a breath, and swallowed. "Will she be all right?"

"We shall ensure that the Alyx Vance remains safe," the Vort at the far end of the table vowed sagely.

Reluctant, Gordon put a hand on Alyx's shoulder. He sighed, and nodded. "All right. Just, uh… I'll get a gun."

The Vortigaunt waited patiently for him while he picked up another thigh holster from beside the stack of rifle, wrapping it around his left leg. A Magnum revolver was in amongst the weapons, and after switching the crowbar over to his left thigh, Gordon loaded the weapon before slipping it into the holster on his right. He picked up an MP7 and checked it was loaded.

Tucking the MP7 under his arm, he picked up the Gravity Gun. When he saw the broken shoulder strap, Gordon groaned. A spindly hand rested on his shoulder, and Gordon looked over at the Vortigaunt.

"This one can help with this task," it said, holding out its hands.

Tentatively, and a little curious, Gordon handed over the Gravity Gun by the strap. Holding the broken ends together, a green glow become more intense until Gordon had to look away. When the light subsided, Gordon looked back to see the strap fused together, much as his glasses had been back at the Shorepoint base.

"Thank you," he said quietly and a little wondrously, gently taking the Gravity Gun and slinging the strap over his head so it rested across his body. "Okay," he breathed, gesturing ahead.

"Yes, forward!" the Vortigaunt announced loudly, thrusting a three fingered fist into the air. It held the pose slightly longer than necessary before shooting off in a lurching sprint towards tunnel 24. A surprisingly fast sprint, at that - Gordon had to run to keep up with its excited pace.

The Vortigaunt led the way to the very end of the tunnel, where a shuttered metal door blocked their path. Cables above it were attached to a portable power generator that looked like it hadn't seen much use.

"Pity the generator that requires a Vortigaunt to operate it," the Vort mused, resting its hands atop it. A cloud of green electricity buzzed around its claws before finally discharging into the generator, kicking into whirring, grinding life.

The old lights above their heads flickered into being, and the door rolled up into the ceiling with a loud metallic groan.

"This body is yours to command," the Vort announced, bumping a fist against its chest. "Lead on!"

"Uh… right," he said slowly. He had no idea where he was going, but the Vort had spoken with such confidence he didn't want to disappoint. Shotgun raised, Gordon made his way into the cave beyond.

The tunnel itself was closed off by a cave-in further down. A small ant-lion tunnel had been dug into the wall on the right, however, the yellow glow of the grubs lighting the way. Gordon looked to the Vort for confirmation. Receiving only a blank red stare, Gordon shrugged and moved inside. His boot squelched against a grub, and the light diminished. Clearing his throat uncomfortably, he looked back at the Vortigaunt.

Its face twisted into a smile. "A pleasing sound, is it not?"

Gordon was ready to protest, but then thought about it. "Sort of," he admitted, nodding lightly.

They continued on through the tunnel until it opened up into a larger cavern, taking them around to the left. As they proceeded onward, a crowd of ant-lions were gathered around something, slicing at it with their claws like wolves dividing out prey.

The hairs on Gordon's neck stood on end, and he saw streaks of green electricity coalesced out of thin air, drawn towards the Vort's hands as it pulled them to its chest. With a guttural Vortigaunt chant, it threw its hands forward, a bolt of energy firing across the cave and hitting the group of ant-lions dead centre. The shockwave flipped them onto their backs, leaving them flailing and twitching.

"Finish them, Freeman!" the Vortigaunt cried. "I have disabled them. Now, attack!"

With a shrug, Gordon did so, firing a wide swathe of bullets into the ant-lions, leaving them all lifeless and bleeding. As they moved through the bodies, the Vortigaunt hummed appreciatively.

"The Freeman is an invaluable companion."

The pained look on Alyx's face as alien claws burst through her body flashed across his mind.

"Sometimes," Gordon muttered.

Though the Vortigaunt had earlier told him to lead the way, Gordon often found the alien latching onto his arm and wordlessly pointing him down a different tunnel. Ant-lions crowded the maze of tunnels, though the acid-spitting variety were smarter and irritatingly crafty, appearing at the far end of one tunnel before ducking out of sight, attempting to lure them in.

As he approached a corner, the Vortigaunt spoke with surprising softness, its voice barely echoing in the cramped passageway. At this proximity, Gordon could smell the Vortigaunts' breath.

Hm. Smelt like celery.

"Beware the acid-lions," it growled, eyes on the end of the tunnel. "Their corrosive spray permits quick carving of rock passages, but it also serves as a strong deterrent to hive robbers like ourselves."

No sooner had the word 'ourselves' left its mouth that the Vortigaunt thrust its arm out, firing a loud and blindness inducing bolt of energy, catching an acid-lion attempting to spy on them.

"Return to the void!" it snarled.

Blinking a troubling amount of spots away, Gordon looked over at the Vortigaunt, which had already started moving down the tunnel.

"Yes, forward!"

A grumble in his throat, Gordon followed along, rubbing his eyes beneath his glasses. This was going to be very different. Even Dog had been relatively obedient; the Vortigaunt was independent, with its own way of doing things and probably unaccustomed to working with humans in this way. Gordon had the impression that in battle, the Vorts were largely left to their own devices. This was only based on the fact he hadn't met any human/Vort fighting teams. They could be a common staple of the resistance, for all he knew. Judging by this one, however… probably not.

The Vortigaunt did, however, wait for him around the corner, back pressed to the wall and head jutted ahead, as though trying to hear something in the distance.

"The ant-lions are keen to our presence. Expect ever greater resistance as we proceed."

It was good advice, and they found themselves dodging behind rocks to avoid sprays of acid and vicious claws with a frustrating regularity. Every time they heard the hiss of unseen ant-lions, Gordon could only think of Alyx moving ever closer to death. The patient silence of the Vortigaunt did nothing to boost his spirits, and Gordon often found himself studying the creature as they navigated the tunnels, searching for any signs that this was as urgent for it as it was for him.

The ant-lion caves gradually became less and less prominent as they proceeded, replaced by the dark wood and old frames of the man-made tunnels. It took them through a maze of mineshafts, only the Vortigaunts' instincts guiding them in the right direction. Old mine carts and collapsed wooden frames occasionally slowed their progress, but the ant-lions themselves didn't bother them as much in the human sections.

Zombies became more prominent, however, the dingy light and creaking wood taking him back to Ravenholm once more. Though having a Vortigaunt firing bolts of electricity certainly took the edge off. It was after finishing off one last zombie with a combined volley of bullets and green electricity that the Vortigaunt grinned over at him.

"It is good, now that we work together!" it announced excitedly, as though it had been looking forward to this moment.

It moved off ahead of him, leading the way up a slope that took them towards a ladder at the top. The ladder itself led up into a small hole in the ceiling above their heads. Gordon followed along, walking on the other side of a mine cart rail. Trying to ignore the smell the inert zombies littering the tunnel were letting off, Gordon looked over at the Vortigaunt. It looked remarkably cheerful as it sauntered along, bulbous red eye focused on its destination.

"I, uh…" he cleared his throat. "I've wanted to say…"

The Vortigaunt looked over at him, though they didn't stop walking.

"Back at Black Mesa, I…" He chewed the inside of his cheek, unable to think of sufficient words. "Your people, I didn't know they were…" Sighing, Gordon suddenly found himself unable to look the Vortigaunt in the eye, instead focusing on his boots. "I killed so many of your people, and I…"

The Vortigaunt had stopped, so Gordon did as well. Taking a deep breath, Gordon forced himself to look at the Vortigaunt, to show it the respect it deserved. "I'm sorry."

With a thoughtful breath, the Vortigaunt stared down to the ground, silent for a few tense moment. "Forgiveness is not ours to bestow. We cannot forget those whose cords you cut."

Words failing him, Gordon just nodded solemnly. That… wasn't exactly what he was hoping for. Though, he supposed, it was what he deserved.

The Vort raised a hand, interrupting his thoughts. "However, take comfort. What seems to you a sacrifice is merely, to us, an oscillation. We do not fear the interval of darkness. It is a perplexing paradox, for you have brought us grief and jubilation beyond measure."

"I…" he frowned, giving the Vort a troubled sideways look. "I have?"

Its eye closing as though in a trance, the Vortigaunt spoke like a shaman telling a story around a campfire. "We see you still in Black Mesa. Clearly we see you in the Nihilanth's chamber. We bear witness to the bright eternity of the Nihilanth's demise. You leap, you fall, we see you flash beyond the barriers. We are there still, in observance of your final stroke. While our own lay scattered at your feet, you severed the vortal cord that bound the Nihilanth to life, and to us. That sharp spur of hope has not dulled to this day. For once the lesser master lay defeated, we knew the greater must also fall in time."

With a pleased sigh, it opened its eye, looking on Gordon with a reverence that made him uncomfortable. "Exceptional. For a brief time you joined with us. You are one, between the worlds. Communion of the Vortessence. And that other: a deeper mystery. No deeper than the void itself."

It started moving up the hill again, as though nothing had been said. Gordon rushed after it, grabbing onto the ladder and standing on the opposite side to the Vortigaunt.

"You know him, don't you?"

Rather than answer, the Vort cast an eye up the ladder, then back to him. "Something secret steers us both. We shall not name it."

It seemed ready to climb when Gordon put a hand over its. "But you were there, I saw you. Please, just… tell me something. You helped me escape from him. You helped Alyx. Tell me something, _anything_."

Taking the closest approximation of a frustrated breath that it could manage, the Vortigaunt finally fixed him with a stare. "What is to come cannot be known, only shaped by our current actions. Knowledge before its time can influence future events beyond our capacity to predict."

Gordon's forehead tensed into a troubled frown as he tried to sift through the riddles. "So… you're saying that I _will _find out… but not yet."

"Indeed."

"Why not?" he challenged through his clenched jaw. All these riddles and backwards-speaking clues. Couldn't someone give him a straight answer? "What if _not _knowing makes things worse?"

"Ours is not to reason why," the Vortigaunt said grandly, holding a hand out in front of it like a Shakespearean actor. "Ours is but to do and-"

"-die," Gordon finished with the alien. He nodded, closing his eyes and allowing a sigh to take the tension and the anger from his body. "Story of my life."

This time, it was the Vortigaunt that nodded sadly, almost resigned. "Indeed," it whispered, almost inaudible as it averted its' gaze from Gordon's.

With that, it clambered up the ladder with alarming speed and through the cramped open hatch above. That was it, then. No control over his own life, just being pushed from one place, from one bloody, violence filled mission to the next. Destiny was never something Gordon had put much thought into. He was a practical sort of person; philosophy never really entered into his head, except probably moral decisions regarding test subjects in portal experiments. And now he was dealing with issues of pre-destiny, free will.

What the hell. If he got it wrong, it wasn't like it was the end of the world, right?

Oh. Wait.

Gordon followed the Vort up the ladder. There werethings he _could_ control, however. He could help the Vortigaunt find this extract stuff, and protect Alyx while they saved her life. He could do that, while no-one else could. That was free will, wasn't it? Making the decision and performing the action that would save someone's life? He shuddered the thought away. He found it easier at Black Mesa, blithely nodding and just _doing _what everyone told him to do. No questions, and only the vaguest notions of independent thought on his part.

He needed to focus. Stop complaining about things he couldn't change. He would find out when he found out. Right now, Alyx was slowly dying somewhere up above, waiting for him. Gordon was quite literally the _only person _who could do it. And even if he weren't, he wouldn't entrust this to anybody else.

The ladder brought him up into a cramped wooden corridor, at the end of which the Vortigaunt was waiting.

Gordon followed it around the corner and through the winding corridor, frowning as he realised something about what the Vort had said.

"You know poetry?"

"Indeed," the Vortigaunt nodded. "We have learnt many things from our time with humanity. From the Magnusson, we have, among many other things, learnt literature. From the Kleiner, the joys of recreational mathematics. And from the Eli Vance, arguably the most important of all…" It grinned. "Baseball."

Shaking his head, Gordon smiled. "Baseball?"

"Regrettably, baseballs are in increasingly short supply within the resistance. Perhaps 'headcrabball' would be a more apt description of the game as we play it."

Before Gordon could ask any further questions, they emerged into a slightly larger room, shadows cast over them by the huge metal structure in front of them. Though he didn't know the name for it, it looked like one the metal bowls that molten liquids would be poured through. A funnel at the bottom pointed through a hole in the ground, though there wasn't enough room between the funnel and the gap for even the lithe Vortigaunt to squeeze through.

"What next in the parade of constant obstacles?" the Vortigaunt muttered as it threw out a ranting arm at the metal bowl in front of them, the other hand planted on its hip. Its' tone sounded very different than normal, and Gordon realised that this would be one of the 'other things' the Vorts had learnt from Dr Magnusson.

He handed the MP7 to the Vortigaunt. "Hold this, please."

After looking down at the weapon and wiggling its' head like a dog shaking off water, the Vortigaunt gently took the weapon, holding it in both hands like a holy object. Gordon hopped down to the ground beneath the metal bowl, eyes on the metal rods it hung from. He blasted it with the Gravity Gun, and it swung forward with a loud groan. Predictably, it swung back, and Gordon sidestepped out of the way. When it swung away again, Gordon moved closer to the square hole in the floor, then blasted the bowl again, pushing it even further away from him.

After a nod to the Vortigaunt, Gordon hopped down through the hole. He plunged down into another slope of a mining tunnel, hitting a wide, flat mining cart at speed. The impact jostled it from whatever was keeping it still at the top of the slope, and it rushed down the tunnel.

"Fear not, Freeman, for I will follow!" the Vort cried from above, though Gordon could hardly hear it over the wind rushing past his ears. Lights flashed past as he moved closer and closer to the bottom of the tunnel, which overlooked a mining shaft that Gordon couldn't see the depths of yet.

He looked back up the car as the trailer reached the edge of the mine shaft, and started running up it. The trailer flung itself into the abyss below as Gordon reached the very end of the car. Gordon pushed off with his legs, arms held out wide for anything to grab on to. A wooden ladder was very clear in front of him, and Gordon wildly swung his arms around in front of him. One hand missed, but the other managed to latch onto a rung.

Frantically, he grabbed on with the other hand and found his footing. The mining car echoed up from the bottom of the shaft as it crashed against the walls, before finally plunging down into what sounded like water.

Letting out a relieved breath, Gordon started climbing back up to the tunnel. He had fallen quite a distance with the train car, and it took an achingly long time to climb back up. As he reached the top, a large red eye abruptly poked out from above, nearly colliding with his head.

With a yelp that didn't exactly make him feel like the legendary One Free Man, Gordon fell back before scrambling awkwardly to get a grip on the ladder again.

The Vort, meanwhile, was grinning ear… hole to earhole. "Ah! No pit would be complete without a Freeman climbing out of it."

Trying not to look too annoyed, Gordon clambered up and dusted himself off. "No, I suppose not."

Silently, the Vortigaunt handed him his MP7 back. Smiling at the gesture, Gordon took the weapon and nodded gratefully to his new companion. The mixed feelings he had about the Vortigaunts were quickly fading. Moving up the tunnel, they came to an ant-lion cave that had been burrowed into the wall on the left. It took them through into an echoing canyon, dark rocks lit from a chamber on the far left side.

"Behold, across the chasm," the Vortigaunt said, pointing a spindly claw past Gordon's head. "That immense repellent device promises surcease from endless ant-lion attacks."

It was a thumper, like those from the coast of City 17. Gordon could hear that much. The regular dull pounding reverberated around the chasm, surrounding them. Spotlights lit the cavern the thumper had been erected in. He could see a swarm of ant-lions moving toward and away from the device, like waves. Their screeches at every thump of the device were barely audible from where they were, but that would probably change as they moved forward.

"If the Freeman is in agreement, let us find our way to that vibratory haven."

Lifting the MP7, Gordon nodded, and they moved together around the pathway of the canyon. It brought them around to a ledge overlooking the area the thumper was protecting. Two parallel rails led into two tunnels, the mine carts that had once occupied them left on their sides to rust. A makeshift campsite had been erected above the ground, the framework surrounding the thumper. The spray-painted lambda symbol on the side of the metal huts indicated they had once been occupied by the resistance.

At the mouth of the right hand tunnel, Gordon could see the crashed remains of a Combine troop transport, though how it had ended up here he had no idea. Could have fallen through an ant-lion tunnel, he supposed. He couldn't see any soldiers around, but still…

Gordon nudged the Vortigaunt, and pointed out the troop transport.

It growled appreciatively, nodding. "We must be cautious."

Further along the cavern was a large metal shed, tucked into the far right corner. Beside that was a metal platform with what looked like an open elevator shaft extending up out of it. Following it, Gordon saw that it led to a walkway quite a distance above. He could see the elevator itself up there, waiting for them. His gaze back on the ground again, Gordon saw a control booth for the elevator on the other side of the wide metal platform.

He was ready to do the usual 'count to three before charging out into an insane situation' when he realised Alyx wasn't here. Once more, with a painful twinge in his chest, he found himself _really _hoping that she was going to be okay.

Gordon leapt down into the cavern, the Vortigaunt close behind. The ant-lions didn't pay much attention to them, any attempt at glancing in their direction diverted by the pounding of the thumper. Gordon still kept his eyes on them as he moved around, however, backing up towards the metal platform where the elevator controls waited. They had only just made their way around the ant-lions when a familiar, muffled groan made him freeze on the spot.

Turning his head in sync with the Vort, Gordon tracked the noise to the metal shed beside the platform. The door abruptly launched itself from its hinges, thumping and flipping along the ground before crushing one of the ant-lions surrounding the thumper. _That _managed to get their attention, and they turned on the swathe of zombies and zombines that lurched out from the shed. Ever more moans came from the blackened tunnels, and Gordon saw the faint outlines of zombies. Wonderful.

Though they were content to fight amongst themselves, that didn't stop both zombie and ant-lion alike from attacking Gordon and the Vort. Gordon ducked a slash from a zombine and circled around it, blasting at the head with the MP7 while the Vort busied itself wrestling ant-lions.

Gordon ran for the elevator control booth, quickly ducking to the side to avoid an ant-lion soaring towards his headcrab, instead colliding with a roaring zombine. He ran into the booth with such speed he smacked noisily against the metal wall. Whirling on the spot, he found two thick buttons, red and green. He slammed a fist on the green button, and poked his head through the windowless booth to check up the metal skeleton of the elevator shaft. A yellow light atop the elevator whirled noiselessly as it descended _painfully _slowly.

A snarl from behind made Gordon turn on the spot, and he leant back to allow a clawed zombie hand to sail in front of his face. After blasting it through the headcrab, Gordon looked over and saw an acid-lion land behind the Vort, glaring at it menacingly. Gordon whirled the gun around, pointing it at the Vort.

"Hey, uh… Vortigaunt!"

Still grappling with an ant-lion, the Vort looked over at him urgently.

"Get down!"

It did so without question, and Gordon fired, spending the last of his ammunition ensuring the acid-lion was well and truly dead. The Vort blew the ant-lion apart with a green energy-laced uppercut before backing up to the thumper. Yanking out the revolver, Gordon sprinted over to join him, ducking around zombine arms and skidding beneath acid-lion spray before leaping over an ant-lion, rolling along the sandy ground before coming to a stop beside the Vort.

Gordon leapt to his feet, revolver clutched in both hands. He remembered the recoil these things had, and didn't want to be hitting himself in the face in front of the Vort.

"It is good that you fight with us!" it cried over the thumper. Its eye drifted over to the flashing light atop the elevator. "So, you have summoned the lift!"

Gordon nodded. "Do you have a name?" he asked over his shoulder, keeping his eyes on the incoming zombies. The ant-lions were keeping their distance with every punch of the thumper, and Gordon had to blink and squint through the clouds of dust it regularly kicked up.

"Titles have no meaning amongst Vortikind," it said sagely, blasting a grenade out of the hand of a zombine. "We are all united through the Vortessence."

"Okay," Gordon blasted the same zombine through the headcrab, killing it. "But it would help to have something to call you."

Another zombie approached from behind, and the Vort whirled on the spot, blasting it in the chest with a burst of electricity.

"RETURN TO THE ALL IN ONE!" it roared, with a volume that made Gordon duck his head a little. Then, pleasantly, it turned to him. "This one can understand your reasoning for wishing so."

After flashing him a polite smile, it returned to firing electricity at incoming zombies. Gordon thought about it as he searched for the closest zombie, keenly aware that he didn't have a lot of bullets.

"Where are we?" Gordon asked.

The Vort gave him a look that implied he was mentally deficient. "We are in the mines, Freeman."

"I know _that_, I meant…" he blasted a zombie, hitting it in the shoulder. Cursing under his breath, he fired again, blasting it through the head. "What's its name? There was writing on the buildings."

"Ah, this one understands…" the Vort said, nodding appreciatively as it blasted one zombie back into a group, toppling them like skittles. "I believe it is entitled 'Victory Mine'."

In the middle of taking aim at a Zombine, Gordon's arm dropped slightly as he looked at the Vortigaunt incredulously. "It's the 'Victory Mine' mine?"

"Indeed," the Vort concurred innocently, without a hint of irony.

Gordon fired, hitting the Zombine right between where the eyes would have been. Looking to the other side of the cavern, Gordon saw that the lift had almost arrived.

He checked how many bullets he had left while he spoke. Two. "So… Victory Mine. As a name, I mean."

Tilting its head to the side, the Vort stared down at the ground for a moment. "Victory Mine…" Its back straightened up with pride, and the Vorts gaze moved to the upper corner of the cavern. "Victory Mine! This one is most honoured to be so titled by the Freeman."

Genuinely pleased with how happy the Vort was with this turn of events, Gordon smiled and slammed the revolver shut, making sure the remaining bullets were lined up properly.

"To the lift, Freeman," the newly christened Victory Mine commanded, pointing a spindly finger across the cavern. "Save yourself."

Gordon looked to the waiting lift, then back to Victory Mine. "No, I can't-"

"That lift is too small to hold us both," he urged, a gentle hand pushing Gordon forward. "Go on alone. I will join you when I can."

Though a 'but' was ready on his lips, Gordon looked to Victory Mine, lithe muscles and crackling green energy pulsing from his hands. Then he looked at his revolver with two bullets, a Gravity Gun with nothing to throw, and a crowbar.

"All right. I'll send the lift back down for you."

"Noted."

Gordon started running, then stopped to face Victory Mine. "Might be easier to think of Victory as your first name. It's quicker."

Victory stared at him for a moment, before shaking his head wondrously. "Truly exceptional."

He shrugged modestly, and was about to leave again when he looked over his shoulder suspiciously. Was that sarcasm? Did Vortigaunts even know what sarcasm was? Then again, they _had _learnt from humans, and sarcasm was definitely something that Dr Magnusson enjoyed.

After shaking it off, Gordon started sprinting, expending his last two bullets on an acid-lion that had taken up shop in the control booth beside the elevator. He leapt inside, clanging against the back of the lift before awkwardly turning around in the small space, jabbing a finger onto the 'up' button. With a regular clanking above his head, the gears at the top of the shaft started moving, slowly pulling the elevator up.

Slipping the revolver away, Gordon watched as Victory moved into the encroaching monsters with surprising agility. He grabbed the arm of one zombie, twirling on the spot and tossing it into a gang of ant-lions approaching from behind. Another ant-lion flew at his head, which he snatched out of mid-air and slammed into the ground. Victory jumped onto the ant-lion, crushing it while using it as a springboard to fly headfirst into a group of zombies and zombines. They all toppled into a heap together, and Victory rolled to the side, ending up in the middle of the ant-lions, acid-lions, zombies and zombines.

Gordon was three-quarters of the way up now, and noticed another platform on the left-hand side of the cavern that was moving down another elevator shaft. This platform was just that, a platform. No guardrails or safety precautions of any kind. Most likely for supplies, then. It was moving down to the ground at the same rate his elevator was ascending, so Victory would be able to make his way up that way.

Said Vortigaunt was gathering energy in his palms, slowly bringing them together and concentrating the stray bolts of electricity into a glowing ball held in both hands. After a moments pause, Victory threw his hands into the air before slamming them down into the ground. A circular shockwave blasted out, repelling the ant-lions and zombies up into the air and across the cavern in all directions.

"Yippee ki-yay," Victory growled from below, though Gordon couldn't be sure over the thumper and the mechanical whine of the elevator.

Gordon's platform reached the top, and he stepped out onto the walkway, rushing to the guardrail to observe what was happening down below. He saw Victory run to the supply platform and press a button on a control panel beside it. The various creatures down below stumbled to their feet, and didn't even miss a beat looking for Victory, instead turning on each other.

He looked around the walkway as he waited for Victory to arrive, finding an entrance to a tunnel in the left-hand wall. It was closed off by a metal shuttered door, though an inert generator was attached, giving him hope. The platform arrived behind him with a clang, and Gordon turned to see Victory trudging over.

"Observe how they fight on alone, heedless of our escape," he said curiously, gesturing down to the horrific noises below. After casting a curious glance behind him, Victory looked back to Gordon, taking a decisive breath. "Well, this is all very amusing, but we must not forget the gravity of our errand; to heal the Alyx Vance."

Victory moved to the generator, and rested his hands atop it. With a green blast of energy, the generator thrummed to life, shaking around noisily as it pulled the metal door upwards. With a wave of his hand, Victory led Gordon onwards into the tunnel beyond.

Tilting his head to the side, Gordon looked at the Vortigaunt curiously. "Did you say 'yippee ki-yay?'"

He nodded happily. "Learnt from the Calhoun."

Gordon smiled in understanding. "Ah. That makes sense."

The tunnel led to a human sized door, overturned benches and planks blocking it off. Gordon moved them away with the Gravity Gun, just then realising it was the only weapon he had now. If he didn't count Victory, that was. Opening the door, the rotting smell that came from inside made Gordon wince. On an old armchair, the covering full of torn holes, was the rotted corpse of a citizen. Burns and fleshy red patches obscured the face and the only part of the chest left visible beneath the blue denim shirt. A shotgun rested up against the armrest of the chair, an empty bottle of beer resting askew on the other side.

"A poignant scene," Victory mused poetically. "An eternity's repose. It brings peaceful thoughts, does it not?"

He was busy trying to fight the retching instinct, and rubbed his nose with the back of his hand. "I… suppose." He checked the shotgun, found it was empty. "We should go now."

Victory cleared his throat, and walked to the door behind him, opening it like a butler. "After you, Freeman."

Hand still rubbing his nose, Gordon moved past Victory and into the tunnel, moving towards the exit that was blocked off by thickly attached planks of wood. Gordon walked over and ran his fingers down the wood. They were far too solidly wedged in; the Gravity Gun wouldn't be much help with these.

With a sudden crash, the wooden planks dented out towards him, splinters shattering into the air. A luminescent green emanated through the gaps, and, backing up to stand beside Victory, Gordon could only just make out the outline of an ant-lion guardian. Except this one glowed like the ant-lions grubs.

"Ah, the ancient guardian!" Victory announced, clasping his hands together. "Retrieving the extract may… not be unchallenging. The guardian's presence guarantees the nearness of larval clusters. They are commonly posted near the young."

Gordon looked back and forth between Victory and the guardian, which was huffing and snarling behind the wooden planks. "So… what do we do? Kill it?"

The Vortigaunt shook his head solemnly, speaking as they watched the guardian turn and disappear into the darkness. "They emit an odour in death that renders the extract useless. We must instead lead it away from the Nectarium, trapping or distracting it long enough to obtain the extract."

A smaller doorway on the left seemed to be the only way forward, and they moved through it cautiously. They encountered no resistance as they moved through the tunnels. With the ancient guardian so close by, the other variety of ant-lions seemed to be giving them a wide berth. Navigating the maze of tunnels, they eventually came to a junction of sorts, all the tunnels converging on an elevator shaft beside them. A quick glance at the controls of the elevator indicated it was powerless.

Searching the area around and behind the elevator shaft, which took up only a small section of the mineshaft in front of them, Gordon could see a platform jutting out several feet below and quite far across from them, leading into a large circular ventilation shaft, a demonic red light glowing out. Victory walked to the edge, peering down into the darkness below.

"A wind from below bears the scent of extract," he said appreciatively, like he had smelt delicious food. "The stuff we seek lies at the bottom of this pit." His head arched upwards. "This shaft connects to the chamber above, where my kin sustain the Alyx Vance. Once we have the extract, we can rejoin them quickly, provided we can restore elevator function."

Leaning towards the elevator, Victory traced his finger loosely over the buttons of the elevator control panel. "But… how? How shall we descend?"

Gordon sighed, promptly backing up and then sprinting to the ledge, leaping over the chasm and slipping rather neatly into the massive air vent below. He rolled along, sliding to a squeaky halt on the metal floor curving around him. Blowing out a relieved breath, Gordon clambered to his feet, checking up the red lit pipe. Seeing the enormous fan ahead of him, he understood why the red light was on. A thick chunk of wood had become jammed between the fan and the metal frame keeping it in place, breaking the rotor and two blades, leaving the fan inert.

"Bravely done, Freeman!" Victory cheered from behind, and Gordon walked back to the mouth of the air vent to see him at the ledge, looking down on him. "When you reach the lower chamber, you must find a way to summon me."

He nodded. "Right. I'll see you later." Gordon turned and moved on down the tunnel, Gravity Gun clutched tightly in both hands.

"Remember, do not kill the guardian, or the extract will be ruined!"

"Okay, thank you," Gordon replied, his shout fading half-heartedly. Using the Gravity Gun at an angle, he was able to blast the fan around until the gap in the blades was rotated in front of him. He clambered through and stood up, finding the ability to walk in an air vent a strangely enjoyable oddity.

He followed the tunnels around several turns and bends before it brought him out into a large, dark ant-lion cave. A few feet below, a rocky pathway extended out across the darkened chasm beneath him. On the large outcropping just beneath his feet, a thick stalagmite extended upwards, blocking Gordon's view of what was ahead, and he had to peer around to see that the stone bridge stretched to the mouth of a cave at the far side.

Casting a quick gaze around the cavern and back down the tunnel, Gordon saw no other alternative route. Shrugging, he hopped down to the ground, the finest of dust clouds puffing out beneath his boots.

In response, a loud, quick roar, like a dog's woof, emerged from the cave at the far end. Cautiously poking his head around the stalagmite, Gordon saw the ancient guardian gallop into view at the mouth of the cave. Throwing its horse-esque head about, it finally settled its gaze on Gordon, and charged without a single noise. Gordon backed up to the wall, looking up at the air vent he had come from. Too high up. Wonderful.

As the guardian thundered over, however, Gordon noticed there wasn't enough room for the creature to move around the stalagmite, and he smiled in relief. The expression vanished when the guardian slammed headfirst into the stalagmite, collapsing it down towards him. Gordon darted to the right to avoid the avalanche of thick rock, and noticed that the guardian had managed to daze itself with that blow.

Gordon started running, moving at a speed that left the air burning in his lungs far quicker than usual. The guardian snarled far behind him, and Gordon glanced over as he entered the cave to see that it was on its feet and facing towards him again. Boots pounding against the rock floor of the caves as he shot around a bend, Gordon heard the gallop of the guardian's massive hooves. The gallop was getting louder, closer.

The tunnel arched around to the right, but the guardian was approaching too quickly. He wasn't going to make it. A luminescent green glowed out from a small webbed cavern tucked into the lower left of the bend in the tunnel. Gordon got as close as he could manage before he threw himself forward, diving into a skid that took him halfway into the small tunnel. He scrambled the rest of the way, and he could feel the guardian's nose bumping against the bottom of his boots as he crawled inside.

With a frustrated snort, the guardian galloped off down the tunnel. Gordon let out a loud, relieved breath, his head dropping. That had been close. Bringing his head up, Gordon grimaced at the green goo stuck to his forehead. A low grumble in his throat, Gordon wiped it off and started crawling again. The ant-lion equivalent of the old cramped air ducts from Black Mesa led him on a stressful and claustrophobic maze for what felt like far too long, and he was eternally grateful to see the darkness of another ant-lion cavern.

Poking his head out, Gordon saw a donut shaped pathway ahead of him. A thick, jagged pillar of wild rock extended down from the roof of the chamber and through the central circle of the donut. There was another cave in the upper right of the canyon stretching out ahead of him. With a series of very uncomfortable grunts, Gordon managed to heave himself out of the ant-lion crawlspace, collapsing in a heap on the rocky path.

At first taking his time getting up, the roar of the guardian blasting out from the tunnel in the corner sent him shooting to his feet. It skidded to a halt at the mouth of the tunnel, glaring over at him.

Gordon resisted the temptation to wave.

Swinging its head down, it batted a boulder over at him. Gordon ducked it, then stepped around another before slowly starting to slide his way around the donut. The guardian moved with him, mirroring him. As he darted back and forth, trying to fake out this giant behemoth that had just been throwing rocks at him, Gordon had a sudden flashback to fourth grade. Though it should have been two overweight ancient guardians shouting 'Four Eyes Freeman' to make the image _completely _accurate.

Slowly moving to the right as casually as he could manage, the guardian matched his movements before growling in frustration and charging straight at him. Eyes bulging, Gordon started running, fairly certain he wasn't going to make it in time. He was in line with the tunnel when the guardian's hooves became deafening.

With a sudden, earth shatteringly painful strike against his back, Gordon was thrown into the air. He hurtled towards the archway of the tunnel, smashing into it and deflecting down into the unforgiving rock floor.

He groaned incoherently. The HEV suit beeped, told him there was a fracture.

"Oh, shut… UP!" he shouted, angrily launching to his feet. The shooting pain in his ribs only pushed him along, sprinting down the tunnel which curved first to the left, then to the right. A sudden, hidden drop was not revealed to him until he had turned the corner, and he dropped what must have been half the height of a Strider before colliding with the ground with a terribly dull thud. Luckily, he landed on the same spot of his ribs he had hit before, so there was nothing for the HEV suit to tell him about.

The guardian came flying over the ledge, landing with incredible grace and volume just in front of him.

With a quiet sneer that he hoped the guardian understood was him being unimpressed, Gordon pushed himself to his feet and adjusted his glasses. A boulder tucked into the corner at the bottom of the ledge stood out to Gordon, and he pulled it to him with the Gravity Gun. He aimed it at the snarling guardian and fired it point blank at its head, which whipped to the side as the massive creature stumbled back.

Gordon started running again, shooting around the slightly dazed monster and quickly assessing the cavern beyond. No small passageways, no tunnels. This wasn't looking good. In no mood to give up now, Gordon kept on running, pouring on more speed when the guardian cried out in rage.

Boots pounding around the bend, Gordon saw a boarded up doorway ahead. Breathlessly yanking the Gravity Gun around, he started blasting relentlessly, smashing through the wooden planks. The guardian was nearly upon him now, and Gordon pulled one of the planks to him and fired it into the creature's face. It shook its head like the blow had just made it a little dizzy. The delay gave Gordon enough time to blast through the remaining planks, however, and he dove through and into the small box of a room beyond.

The floorboards creaked loudly as he landed, rolling and smacking his back against the wall. Gordon looked up to see the guardian's head burst through the doorway at him, an inch of space between the tip of its 'nose' and Gordon's face. Its breath steamed up Gordon's glasses as he carefully brought the Gravity Gun around, pointing it at the floorboards beneath him. He blasted through and fell down, plunging into another mining tunnel, not to mention his rear colliding severely with a metal rail.

Gordon slowly fell to the side, frozen in the sitting position. His face pressed to the dusty ground, Gordon allowed himself a whine.

"That _really _hurt…" he mumbled.

The guardian, insensitive to his pain, howled and roared above him, thrashing its head around in anger or frustration, Gordon couldn't quite tell. He wasn't really willing to turn his head at the moment. Finally, the guardian decided that it wouldn't be squeezing through the human-sized doorway any time soon and retreated, thundering off down the tunnel above.

Gordon prayed that would be the last he saw of that glowing _bastard._ Blowing out a breath, and trying to think about all the good things Alyx did to encourage him along, Gordon pushed himself to his feet. He looked up and down the tunnel, feeling a jolting twinge in his neck when he turned his head too far to the left. Which was fine, because right was the way to go, apparently.

It led him out into a large open chamber that had been overtaken by ant-lion cobwebs. On his immediate right, Gordon could see the platform that served as the bottom of the mineshaft he had been overlooking earlier with Victory.

"I sense the Freeman down below!" Victory called out, his voice echoing down from above and actually making Gordon feel a little better. "Activate the elevator, that we might reconvene."

He moved around to the platform, surreptitiously checking his stats as he did so. The HEV suit was closer to twenty percent now. Great. The platform itself seemed fine. A set of gears beneath the platform seemed to be the problem. Crouching down and wincing as he nursed his ribs, Gordon saw that of the three gears, the middle had somehow dropped out over the course of time. It was absurdly heavy, and Gordon grunted louder than he was expecting as he slid it back into place.

Reaching over to the handbrake beside the spinning gears, Gordon yanked it over with a wince. Walking on tired legs, Gordon moved to the buttons on the metal pillar beside the spot where the elevator would eventually come to rest. He pressed the green button, and a shower of sparks sprinkled down on him.

"I descend," Victory announced sagely.

Gordon dragged himself down the steps and out into the cavern. A comfortable distance from the elevator shaft, he slumped down to the floor. Resting back on his hands, Gordon let his head hang back, taking a grateful breath as the low-powered HEV suit did its best to heal him.

"Abide a moment longer Freeman, that we may proceed together!" Victory urged, as though Gordon were bouncing up and down impatiently for his arrival.

He waved a tired hand in the air. "Don't worry about it…"

It took a blissful twenty seconds or so for Victory to arrive, by which time the HEV suit had managed to heal at least _some _of the damage. Gordon heaved himself up to meet the rapidly approaching Victory, who jabbed his fist through the air proudly.

"The Freeman has done his task magnificently. The scent of ripe perfection beckons," he groaned, head arched upwards. "Follow, Freeman, while I track it to the source. You have done the hardest work, admitting entrance to this chamber. Truly, the life of Alyx Vance is in able hands."

Gordon nodded quietly, every passing moment just increasing his need to see Alyx safe again. His Vortigaunt companion seemed in an equal hurry, and was promptly sprinting towards a tunnel on the other side of the barren cave. A little dizzy from the morphine-burst resulting from his earlier rest-stop, Gordon stumbled a little as he followed Victory to a closed metal door attached to a generator.

With a quick blast of electricity, Victory had it running, and the door slid up into the ceiling, allowing the glistening white lights from the chamber beyond to shine in. Victory ran inside without hesitation onto a rocky slope going up to the right, leading to… well, Gordon wasn't sure what he was looking at as he slowly caught up.

They resembled giant honeycombs, each hole wide enough for a Vortigaunt to easily slide an arm in. A large chunk was attached to the ledge in front of them, allowing easy access for them. Moving to the ledge, Gordon could see that the massive canyon housed many more of the honeycombs. This would be the Nectarium, he supposed.

"Ah, such quantities of larvae…" Victory closed his eyes, sniffing the air. "Such a heady aroma."

Without a word, Victory brought his hands up to the air. With a Vortigaunt chant, he slammed them down again, placing them on the honeycomb and sending a bright blue energy glowing out of every hole of every honeycomb in the chamber around them. Gordon could only look about in wonder at the blue light swirling around him. As beautiful as it was, however, he couldn't help but silently wish that Victory would hurry up.

And then, for no reason whatsoever, his brain suddenly connected two bits of information together. Bennett and Philips. Security guards at Black Mesa. Veronica Bennett, daughter of scientist Walter Bennett, liked action movies. Wayne Philips, jittery, loved baseball. He remembered them. Which meant they were people, they were real. As long as he remembered, they were real. And if he could remember two names out of the hundreds he had come across, then maybe saving Alyx wasn't so unlikely.

Gradually, the blue lights faded, winking out all across the chamber until only a few remained, persistently glowing out from the honeycombs.

"Ah, excellent," Victory purred, hands clasped together. "A bounty of larval extract. This should only take a moment."

With that, he clambered atop the honeycomb and towards the only hole still showing any light, at least in the honeycomb available to them. Casting his eye around the chamber, Gordon could see plenty of blue lights twinkling out at him. Victory, meanwhile, had delicately eased his entire arm into the glowing hole. Slowly, and with great care, he pulled out a glowing blue blob about the size of an apple. Shoulders hunched and grasping it with both hands, Victory hopped back down to Gordon's side.

"Secretions of the finest quality. Let us now return now to the Alyx Vance."

Gordon was only too eager to agree, and they sprinted almost in tandem up the tunnel, moving quickly into the elevator. Once inside, Gordon pulled the metal grating across and elbowed the green button, sending the elevator back up. Darkness consumed them as they hurtled upwards. The glowing extract in Victory's hands lit his face from beneath, like someone holding a torch while they told scary stories around the campfire. It was the only light they had as the walls whipped past them.

"Truly, Freeman. Well done. You bear some traits we thought innate to Vortikind."

"Um…" he cocked an eyebrow, unsure if that was a good thing or not. "Thank you. How do you know so much about ant-lions?"

"Antlion husbandry was once our ancestral practice," Victory explained, holding the extract up in front of him. "The creatures exude many valuable compounds, but the extract is the most prized by far. It dissolves the false veils that divide the Vortessence. All this you shall witness when-"

"No pulse!"

It was another Vortigaunt, the voice echoing from above them. Light shone down from above, filtered by the metal gantry that was the ceiling. Peering up, Gordon could see the three Vortigaunts gathered around the table Alyx was resting on.

"Her heart has stopped!"

Gordon's did much the same, all his breath leaving him as the Vortigaunts spoke further, their voices desperate.

"She ebbs!"

"If we lose her, we lose all!"

The elevator clanged to a halt back in the mining chamber, and Gordon hurled the door the aside. He rushed out, quickly shifting aside to let Victory through. The Vortigaunt stepped through, holding his prize in the air.

"Behold… the extract!"

"Ah, yes…" the Vortigaunt opposite Victory mused, reaching out and reverently taking the blue glob. Its red eye studied the extract intently. "Miraculous secretion…"

"Make haste!" another Vort urged, and Gordon really couldn't help but agree. Glancing around the chamber, he saw that Sheckley and Griggs were watching down from the walkway behind them. Holding onto the guardrail for support, Sheckley gave Gordon a terse nod, which he returned.

"Join now," the fourth Vort said to Victory, "as we imbibe the extract."

"Yes…" he agreed, holding out his clawed hands above Alyx and sending out a wave of green energy to accompany the others.

"A human is needed…" the Vort holding the extract said, almost hesitant as it glanced over at Gordon.

"Agreed," the two other Vorts said in sync.

Victory looked over to Gordon. "Join us, Freeman."

Without hesitation, Gordon nodded, lifting the Gravity Gun from his shoulders by the strap and tossing it aside as he stepped forward. He held out his hands unsurely on either side. Were they supposed to hold hands? Was that how this worked?

The Vortigaunt opposite lifted the extract into the air with one hand before shoving it unceremoniously into its mouth, viciously feasting. Blue liquid dribbled between its fingers. Before Gordon's eyes, the Vortigaunt's skin darkened, fading into a slick black. Purple light swirled over its blackened skin. Gordon had seen Vortigaunts like this before, at the Citadel, and… holding Him at bay while they freed Gordon from the dark void.

Light faded around them, the sky far above them darkening ominously. The Vortigaunt reached out to the two others on either side of the table, spreading the purple darkness over their bodies as well. Their heads shook like a dog shaking off water. They in turn touched Gordon and Victory, passing on the swirling energy. Looking down at his hands, Gordon didn't notice anything different, though Victory was now the same darkened hue as his kin.

"We weave the Freeman's life with hers," the Vort on the right of the table whispered.

The Vort opposite Gordon pressed his hands down towards Alyx without touching her, moving them up and down the length of her body. Alyx's flesh and clothing became transparent beneath the Vort's hands. Gordon was mesmerised as the Vortigaunt smoothly slid its hands over her body, acting like x-ray spotlights. One hand on top of the other, the Vort held them above Alyx's mid section, and pulled up an imaginary string attached to her body, her back arching as the Vort brought its hands up.

"Yes, there is a quickening…" the Vort on the left purred.

Victory nodded almost deliriously. "Almost Vortal, this bond between you…"

Waving its hands around like it was conjuring something, the Vort brought both hands back before throwing them forward toward Alyx, and Gordon wondered what else was to come in this ritual. The thought was put on hold when he noticed that the Vort had stopped, its hands held up in front of it as though waiting for something. Gordon glanced to Victory, then to the other Vortigaunts. They, too, were frozen on the spot. Was this something to do with the process?

But then he heard the voice. _That _voice.

_His _voice.

"Doctor _Free_man…" he sing-songed, his voice lethargic and croaking.

A bright light surrounded Gordon, and he squinted.

No. Please, not now.

The Vortigaunts and Alyx remained, but now His face filled Gordon's vision, superimposed in front of them like a green-screen image.

"I realise this moment may not be the most… _con_venient for a… heart _to_ heart… but I had to _wait_ until your…" Glancing over His shoulder, He sneered. "_Friends_... were otherwise occu_pied_."

With another blinding white light, the Vorts and Alyx were gone, replaced by darkness. All Gordon could see was His gaunt, intense gaze.

"There was a _time _they cared no_thing_ for Miss… _Vance_. When their only experience of… humanity was a crow…_bar_ coming at them down a steel corri_dor_…"

Gordon tried to speak, but predictably, nothing came out. He couldn't move, couldn't speak. All he could do was hope that the Vortigaunts would be able to rescue him again. Going back to that void, to that nothingness… the idea was more than he could bear right now.

Abruptly, they were somewhere else. Gordon was in front of an old Black Mesa reception desk. _He_ was sat behind the desk. A large monitor erected on the wall Him flickered with static while He spoke. Alyx's image appeared on the monitor, patches of her skin and clothes transparent as the Vortigaunts worked to heal her.

"_When_ I _plucked _her from Black _Mes_a," He said slowly, a hand on His heart and another held in the air, speaking with an overdramatic sincerity, "I acted in the face of objec_tions_ that she was a mere child, and of no practical use to anyone."

Gordon's mind reeled. What?_ He _had saved Alyx? But… Eli had told Gordon that _he _had taken Alyx out of Black Mesa. Was Eli lying? Did he know _Him_? Or did he just find her, after He had rescued her?

_His_ demeanour abruptly changed, a dangerous smirk dancing across His features as he glared up at Gordon.

"I have _learned_ to ig_nore_ such…" Behind Him, Gordon saw the image of Dr Breen flicker across the monitor before being replaced by static, "…naysayers, when _quelling_… them… was out of the question."

Breen had known about Alyx? Gordon already had his suspicions about Breen knowing Him, but just how far did the connection between them go?

A low hum vibrated through Gordon's body, and they were somewhere else. A corridor, cold and familiar. It was where he and Alyx had seen Judith in her message. Two rebels, frozen in place at the far end of the corridor, were firing on Combine soldiers approaching from beside Gordon. The rebel closest to him was consumed in a cloud of blood, the specks of liquid stuck in midair.

He was stood on the left of the corridor, fingers pressed together in front of Him. As He spoke, the near-transparent image of His face almost filled Gordon's vision.

"Still, I am not one to… squa_nder _my… _invest_ments, and I remain confi_dent_ she was worth far _more_ than the initial… apprai_sal_."

The corridor vanished, abruptly replaced by what looked like the top of a missile silo, a walkway in front of him circling around the nosecone. Gordon recognised Dr Magnusson stood on a set of steps beside the nosecone, caught in mid-rant, his arms waving in the air boisterously.

He had His back to Gordon as He spoke, hands clutching the guardrail of the walkway. His dreamlike visage still lingered in front of Gordon's eyes, like spots in your vision that never seemed to disappear no matter how many times you blinked.

"That's why I must now ex_tract _from _you_ some _small…_ repayment owed for your own survival."

His face faded, and He turned from the guardrail to talk to him man to man, as it were. "See her safely to White Fo_rest_, Doctor Freeman. I _wish_ I could do _more_ than keep an _eye_ on _you_, but I have agreed to abide by cer_tain_… restrictions?" The last word was said as though He were unsure if it were the correct word.

Suddenly, they were plunged into darkness, and Gordon's chest tightened at what he saw. Alyx, unconscious and still, lying flat on her back, with Him stood beside her body, like a concerned visitor at the hospital.

"Well, now. Listen care_fully_, my _dear_. When you see your… _father_…" He choked a laugh upon saying the word. "…re_lay_ _these_ words." He leaned in close, nearly whispering the words. "Prepare for un_fore_seen conse_quences_…"

With a jolt that would have made Gordon jump if he could have moved, Alyx's eyes opened, her head jerking awake.

Then, with a final, silent blast of white light, Gordon was back in the mines again, stood beside the Vortigaunts gathered around Alyx. His head whipped around the chamber, the light of which had returned to normal. No-one seemed any the wiser about his little jaunt with Him. Their purple hue had disappeared, their skin having reverted to the usual pale grey/brown.

All the things He had told him… were they true? Why did He want that message delivering to Eli so badly? Unforeseen consequences? What the hell did that mean?

"She stirs," the Vort opposite uttered, looking slightly tired from the effort of… whatever it was it had done.

Gordon snapped himself out of his thoughts and looked down at Alyx. She groaned, a shaky hand moving to her face.

"Her Vortal form has regained integrity," another Vort agreed.

"We have averted an immeasurable loss," Victory said quietly, and Gordon couldn't help but look at him with some suspicion. Did the Vortigaunts know about Alyx and Him? Was that why they saved her? Were they using her as much as He was?

"Oh, God," Alyx groaned desperately, her eyes still closed as she tried to sit up.

"Lie still," Victory urged, hands out in front of him.

She didn't need much convincing, and rested back on her elbows, dazed eyes forward. "Oh my God… I thought… I thought for sure I was dead."

"The Combine Hunters caused dramatic injury."

"A Hunter," she breathed, understanding in her eyes. "So that's what it was."

"We knit shattered bone," the Vort opposite said, "and returned circulatory integrity."

"Yet, it was the Freeman who retrieved your Vortessence," Victory added, waving a hand over to him.

Gordon looked over at Victory quietly and curiously. He did? When had that happened? Had they been using him even as he had been with Him?

The fond smile from Alyx waved any such troubled thoughts from his mind. "Yeah… that's Gordon."

He smiled back, taken aback by the relief that was washing over him.

Clutching the side of her head, she looked over to Victory. "How long have I been out?"

"A matter of hours."

"Hours?" Her head shot over to him, and she instantly regretted it, judging by the wince and groan that escaped her. After taking a breath, she looked to Gordon. "We've got to get moving."

"A moment longer," Victory urged, interrupting Gordon but saying pretty much what he was going to anyway.

"But we _have_ to get to White Forest," Alyx said gravely, fixing Victory with an urgent stare. "It's _vital."_

Earlier, Gordon would have just assumed her urgency was due to the data packet from the Citadel. But now… she was the messenger that he was supposed to escort to Eli. A messenger from Him. Was she aware of what He had said?

A cold shiver ran through him. Did Alyx know Him?

Gordon's jaw set. Alyx was here, she was talking and breathing and alive… and he couldn't enjoy it. Instead, he was looking on her with suspicion and paranoia.

"No fear," Victory assure gently, "we will put you on the right road. Now, try, _carefully,_ to rise."

As soon as Alyx sat up, Gordon was by her side, one hand lightly gripping her arm and the other on her back. She turned so her legs hung off the side of the table, and her eyes widened a little, her head wavering a little with dizziness.

"Whoa…" Hands tentatively gripping the edge of the table, Alyx slowly slid off, her legs wobbling beneath her when she applied weight to them. She smiled Victory, who was holding her other arm. "I don't know what you did, but I have a feeling I'm lucky to be here."

Gordon carefully released Alyx, leaving her to Victory. "Just let me get some supplies," he mumbled, picking up the Gravity Gun. He gathered up a shotgun from the stack of weapons and rushed to the green ammo crate beside tunnel 36. After loading up both the revolver and the shotgun, he sprinted back down to meet them.

"Okay," he said, a little breathless. He could still feel the slightest pangs of discomfort coming from his ribs; the low power of the HEV suit was really slowing it down.

"Come, then," Victory said, gesturing to the open elevator behind him. "I will get you on the path to White Forest."

The Vortigaunt led Alyx into the elevator, where she had tucked herself into the corner. Victory waited by the elevator door, like an attendant.

"Come on, Gordon," Alyx said quietly. "Next to me."

Gordon slipped inside and to Alyx's side. He put out an arm, which she rested her hand on with a grateful smile.

Victory pressed the control for the elevator, and they started to ascend. The Vortigaunts down below waved like children saying goodbye to their friends after a birthday party.

"We will continue our hunt for Advisors. Farewell!"

"Go safely!"

"Travel well!"

As they moved higher, they passed Griggs and Sheckley, the latter of whom gave Gordon a big salute.

"Good luck out there!"

"Okay, Freeman," Griggs announced, sounding like he was preparing something prophetic and wise, "Be… adequate!"

Sheckley scowled at him. "What the hell does that mean?"

"I dunno," he shrugged, voice squeaking. "Sounds like something the Vorts would say."

Glancing back at Victory, he saw the Vortigaunt roll his eye before casting his gaze out the side of the elevator, checking what was to come. Smiling at the human gesture, Gordon's eyes travelled down to the still worryingly pale Alyx, who had her eyes closed.

"I…" he cleared his throat, and tried again, though this time he spoke far too loudly and formally. "I'm glad you're okay."

With something halfway between a laugh and a smile, Alyx rested her tired head against the shoulder of his HEV suit. "Thanks, Gordon."

The elevator clanged to a halt, and Victory reached past them to slide the gate aside. Gordon was preparing to rest Alyx's arm over his shoulders when she patted his shoulder appreciatively.

"I think I can walk on my own now." She noticed the concerned glance exchanged between Gordon and Victory, and added, "C'mon, at least let me give it a shot."

Backing up a step, Gordon nevertheless kept his free hand held out, ready to catch her in case she fell. Alyx stretched her arms above her head, her interlocked fingers popping in the air. She cricked her neck, took a focusing breath, and stared straight ahead, determined. The first few steps were shaky, but after only a couple of paces she was looking back at them from halfway down the wooden tunnel, nodding confidently.

"Yeah. Stiff, but… I think I'm okay."

Still unconvinced but knowing better than to try and force help on her, Gordon followed, Victory trailing behind as though covering them from an enemy they were unaware of. The tunnel took them to a junction that sloped down to the right and up to the left. On the right, wooden planks and boards prevented them from going down, so up on the left seemed to be their only option.

As Gordon led the way and passed by the blocked passageway, a familiar roar preceded the sudden loud _crack_ of the wooden planks. Shotgun at the ready, Gordon saw the ancient guardian seething at him through the gaps between the wooden planks. Foiled by the blockage in front of it, the guardian snorted angrily before turning and disappearing into the dark tunnel beyond.

"Whoa," Alyx said, eyes wide as she studied the splintered crack in the wood. "That was a guardian!" She looked back at them, before her amused, expectant gaze fell on Gordon. "_Somebody_ must have done something to piss it off."

Gordon sighed and shrugged. "Had to be done."

"The guardian is enraged over our theft of the extract," Victory elaborated. "If it tries to hinder our progress, we will have no choice but to kill it."

Alyx seemed to miss most of that sentence, instead staring at Gordon in disbelief upon hearing the words 'theft of the extract'.

"You messed with its _eggs_?"

He pushed his glasses up his nose. "Well, technically, _he _messed with the eggs. I just, uh… helped."

Laughing, Alyx shook her head and looked back to the dented wood. "No wonder it's mad…"

"Come. We must move forward," Victory said urgently, rushing past them and up the sloped doorway on the left.

Gordon and Alyx looked at each other. He stretched out his arm ahead of him.

"After you."

She smirked and moved past, following Victory into whatever awaited them. And, for that brief moment, despite the mysteries and suspicion and paranoia and all-powerful God-like men in suits… all was right in the world again.

* * *

(A/N: This is one of the longest chapters I've ever written for any story, so hopefully it kept your attention. Victory Mine's name came from looking up his entry on the Combine Overwiki. It also just seemed like a cool name for him, if a bit similar to Victor. Though I don't think anyone's going to be getting them confused anytime soon.

Anyway, reviews, please!

_Next Chapter: Freeman Pontifex_)


	8. Freeman Pontifex

Disclaimer: I don't own _Half-Life._

_**Aftermath**_

_**Chapter Eight: Freeman Pontifex**_

Gordon found it difficult not to fuss over Alyx. He had to fight the instinct to rush over to her on every misstep and groan as they walked up the slope and around the corner going off to the left. A hole in the ground ended the corridor abruptly, a ladder providing the way down.

Victory skipped the whole thing, leaping down past the ladder. Allowing Alyx to go first, Gordon watched her climb down, a troubled frown tensing his forehead the entire time. As Gordon clambered down himself, hopping past the last few rungs, a dull, distant thumping echoed from outside.

Turning from the ladder, Gordon saw that the corridor sloped up to a doorway, bright daylight shining through. As they followed Victory out into the open, Gordon couldn't help but enjoy the fresh air that washed over his face. Alyx's obvious discomfort at having to walk uphill dampened his spirits a little, however.

They reached the top of the slope before it became an issue, emerging out onto a wooden platform overlooking a grassy quarry. Barrels and crates had been left randomly across the platform, overturned and ageing. A shelter above their heads allowed them shade from the sunlight beating down from above. Moving to the left corner, Gordon rested a hand against one of the pillars supporting the shelter. A grassy slope beside him led down to the quarry itself, which stretched off into the distance and around to the left.

On the opposite side of the quarry, Gordon saw the source of the distant thumping. Crossing a long bridge presented crossways to them, the Combine made their way forward. Striders, APCs, dropships, gunships and soldiers… all marching with uniform speed. Behind them, a strange, towering apparatus had been constructed around one of the creatures Gordon and Alyx had seen at the Citadel, the white shell glistening in the sunlight.

Alyx sat down on a wooden crate behind Gordon, hands resting on her knees. A tired groan escaped her that he did his best not to pay too much attention to, quickly followed by a gasp when she saw the bridge.

"Oh my God. The Combine's on the move."

Victory, who had taken up a position opposite to Gordon, growled ominously. "Yes… and they carry Shu'ulathoi; Advisors, still in incubation pods. They gather and unite the scattered Combine forces."

"So that's what we saw in the Citadel," Alyx said to Gordon.

He nodded. "I saw Breen talking to them even earlier than that." He looked to Victory. "And I've heard that word before. From the Nihilanth."

"Indeed. The Nihilanth was their slave, as it also once was with Vortikind." He waved a hand toward Gordon, adding a gracious, "Freed by your endeavours."

Smirking, Alyx gave Gordon a playful punch in the side. "Everybody owes you something, don't they?"

Gordon shrugged, casting his gaze back to the bridge. "I'm still waiting for that beer from Barney."

After a moment to readjust to the gravity of the situation, Alyx returned her attention to the Combine. "They're sure in a hurry."

Victory nodded gravely. "They move north with great purpose."

"North? White Forest!" Alyx groaned, and Gordon looked over to see she had leapt to her feet. After shooting an irritated glance at his over-worried expression, she addressed Victory. "We have to get there ahead of them."

"I know of humans with a vehicle not far from here," Victory said, nodding behind Gordon and to the quarry turning off to the left. "They will understand our urgent need."

"What are we waiting for?"

After one last look at the distant Combine, the automated female voice rendered incomprehensible due to the echoing quarry, Gordon led the way down the slope, wondering if maybe they would end up being sitting ducks if the Combine noticed them. As they progressed down into and then through the quarry, however, Gordon realised that what they had seen was the tail end of the Combine expedition; except for a few soldiers, the bridge was largely empty now.

The quarry had become overrun with moss that squelched beneath his feet as they followed Victory around the corner and into another long valley stretching out in front of them. Several thumpers had been erected at evenly spaced intervals, creating a trail of pit stops that pointed the way to the resistance base. A skeleton of a building frame had been erected on the cliff-side, tucked into the far right corner of the valley. Inside, Gordon could see an elevator shaft. Gordon could just make out the tip of a warehouse over the ridge of the valley, behind the elevator.

"The humans have their enclave on the rim of this canyon," Victory said, pointing out the base to Alyx. "I do not see their sentries."

Gordon's mouth became a worried, thin line. They managed to reach the first thumper without incident. As soon as they set off for the second, however, great geysers of dust and dirt erupted around them, ant-lion and acid-lion alike clambering out.

Alyx groaned, pulling out her pistol. "Ant-lions. Now I know I'm not in heaven."

They ducked, blasted and leapt their way to the second thumper, gathering around it breathlessly. Alyx rested a hand against the metal frame of the thumper, and Gordon glanced back at her with concern.

"I'm fine, Gordon," she gasped, waving him away with an exasperated tone. "Just… tired."

The sweat gathering across her pale face did nothing to reassure Gordon. Victory blasted an acid-lion, the explosion of corrosive liquid burning through several ant-lions that had been gathered around it. Half a dozen gas canisters were gathered around the thumper, heavy enough that they were unaffected by the shockwaves of the device.

"Take shelter near the next repellent device," Victory called over his shoulder, before running into the swathe of alien bugs, a Vortigaunt cry on his lips.

Gordon looked back to Alyx, putting a hand on her arm. "We have to move."

Swallowing and taking one last deep breath, Alyx nodded. They started running, and Alyx stumbled only a few times before they reached the thumper. The resistance had seen fit to erect a miniature fortress around this particular thumper. Girders and sheets of metal had been nailed and melted together to create a secure perimeter of shielding. The gaps were thin enough that a person could clamber through, but an ant-lion would have trouble. And even if one of the creatures _did _get through, the thumper guaranteed it wouldn't want to stay.

Victory joined them quickly, leaping through a gap between girders like an acrobat through a flaming hoop. He rolled to a stop, then ran over to join them behind cover. Looking over at Alyx, Gordon saw that she was doing no better than before, and was now resting her back against the makeshift wall, head up and taking deep breaths through her nose.

"Dizzy," she whispered. "It'll pass."

Taking a determined breath, Gordon moved around the thumper to the other side of the improvised island, peering through two posts of metal to get a better look at the elevator. He would have to cross a railway line going from one closed off tunnel to another, both boarded up. It looked like the door to the elevator shaft was closed, maybe even locked. He looked back across the way to Alyx and Victory.

"I'll see if the door to the lift is working," he yelled, hoping he was heard over the thumper.

Alyx nodded and gave him a thumbs up. Watching the gesture intently, Victory did the same, with a toothy grin thrown in for good measure.

After a pump of the shotgun to make sure he wouldn't waste any time, Gordon turned and slipped through out of cover. He started running, trying to keep an ear out for the sound of an acid-lion spitting anything towards him. One boot touched the railway when he heard a familiar roar. Still running, Gordon glanced over his shoulder and saw the ancient guardian come exploding into the great outdoors, wood flying everywhere as it exited the tunnel closest to him.

Gordon skid to a halt at the metal shuttered door leading into the elevator shaft. It was attached to a generator.

A _dead _generator.

Snarling, the guardian turned on him and charged. Gordon remained where he was, managing four shots before the guardian was practically on top of him. He dove to the side, rolling and coming back up on his feet. The guardian tried to stop itself, colliding side on with the tall barbed wire fence beside the metal gate.

Not needing much more encouragement, Gordon started running back to the thumper, keenly aware of the gathering ant-lions and the loud galloping that shook through the ground. He reached the island and had to slow down to slip through a gap. Somehow, he found it difficult to concentrate on the awkward matter of lifting his leg up and over the metal girders when the guardian was pounding down towards him with increasing vigour.

A three fingered hand latched onto his arm and pulled him through, yanking with more strength than Gordon could ever have attributed to such a slight frame. The guardian slammed into the girders, hard. Dazed by the viciousness of the blow, the growling monster sat back on its rear, head spinning a little.

"The ancient guardian…" Victory said, red eye on the creature as Gordon got to his feet. "This time you may kill it without consequence."

"Yeah, thanks," he mumbled, cocking the shotgun.

Victory threw as many bolts of energy at the guardian as he could manage while Gordon unloaded the shotgun into creature. It stumbled back from the onslaught, howling in pain and anger before galloping off to the left and out of sight. A thick trail of yellow blood followed behind it, giving Gordon hope. The fact that he was hopeful he would be able to murder a wild animal made Gordon sadder than he would have thought possible. He tossed the empty shotgun away, and pulled out the revolver as he joined Alyx on the other side of the island.

Alyx was firing sporadically at the ant-lions and acid-lions gathering around them, though she occasionally stopped to take a breath before ducking out again.

"You remember their names yet?" she asked, head arched around the corner of a metal sheet.

Gordon frowned over his shoulder at her, distracted from taking aim through a gap on the other side. "What?"

"Those people at Black Mesa."

"Oh. Uh… yes."

Alyx fired off a few more shots before ducking back inside, her back to the metal sheet and now standing beside Gordon, shoulder to shoulder. "Well?"

"Uh…" he cleared his throat. "They were, uh… security guards. Wayne Philips and Veronica Bennett. Philips liked baseball and Bennett liked, uh… fighting, I suppose."

She smiled. "Even if you can't remember their names right away… so long as they're in here," she patted a finger against her temple, "they're still around. They meant something." Her eyes drifted off to the distance, her mind briefly going somewhere else. "That's what I like to think, anyway."

With that, she returned to the gap, firing off a few shots here and there. Blinking himself out of his thoughts, Gordon did the same on his side of the metal wall, searching for the guardian. No sign of it. Licking its wounds, probably. If it had a tongue. He wasn't even sure it had a mouth.

Looking back to Alyx, he seriously thought about what he was about to do. He knew it wasn't the best time, but… sometimes, there were things you just _had to ask._

"Alyx…" he managed, his voice slow and uneven.

She was still concentrating on the ant-lions outside. "Yeah?"

Swallowing to help out his suddenly dry throat, Gordon glanced over at Victory, who was dancing between different gaps, blasting electricity at random intervals. "Do you… know about the man in the suit?"

A confused scowl was thrown his way for only a moment before she returned to the ant-lions. "What?"

"The man in the blue suit, with… his face, it's-"

"Gordon," she gasped, finally giving him her attention with an exasperated look, "what the hell are you talking about?"

He clamped his mouth shut. She didn't know. How could she? Judging by what He said, He rescued her when she was a child, from Black Mesa. Something else sparked in Gordon's mind, and he took a reluctant breath before finally forcing himself to just get it over with.

"What about… consequences? Uh… unforeseen, uh… cons-" he stopped himself, frustrated with his case of word salad. "Does that… mean anything to you?"

Alyx was well and truly lost now. "Should it? Gordon, you're kinda scaring me, did you get hit on the head while I was out?"

Gordon stared at her confused, deep brown eyes, studying him so intently with such genuine concern. She was a pawn, just like him. Except she knew even less than him. Should he tell her about Him? Would she believe him, or even understand? He sighed, oddly relived that she wasn't a willing part of any of this. That meant she was just Alyx. Nothing more, nothing less.

Alyx who was now staring at him like he had gone insane in her absence.

"Uh, no," he said clearly, trying his hand at a reassuring smile. "Black Mesa memories. I was just wondering if you remembered any of it."

Her head tilting to the side, and she studied him for a few moments longer before shrugging. "I don't remember much from those days. This…" she said sadly, waving her hand around in the air, "…is pretty much the world I know."

Staring down at the ground, Gordon forced his gaze up to hers. "That's a shame."

There was a brief pause between them before the snarl of the guardian brought them back to reality. They smiled in sync.

Gordon shrugged, bringing up his revolver. "Got to go to work."

"See you soon," she said quickly, whirling on the spot and returning to her ant-lions.

Gordon looked out his side of the metal sheet, and saw the guardian slowly stomping into view, its movements heavy and laboured. Blood was still pouring from its wounds, pooling at its hooves. Behind it, Gordon saw the thumper and the gas canisters gathered around it. Looking around the island, he locked onto his Vortigaunt companion, currently taking cover from acid-lion projectiles behind a low plate of metal.

"Victory!"

The Vortigaunt's head whipped up at the sound of his name. Ignoring the curious eyebrow Alyx had raised in his direction, Gordon continued shouting.

"Distract the guardian!"

His bulbous red eye darted first to the other side of the island and to the guardian, then back over to him. "It shall be done, Freeman!"

Slipping the revolver away, Gordon prepared to launch himself out into the open. He glanced back at Alyx, who just mouthed 'Victory?' incredulously.

"Later," he shouted, clambering around the corner and leaping out. His boots landed at speed on a patch of moss, and Gordon slid forward for a few seconds before recovering his footing, sprinting towards the thumper halfway down the valley. The guardian howled into the air before charging after him.

"Return to the void!" Victory snarled, and Gordon heard the guardian's steady gallop falter and stumble.

Most of the ant-lions or acid-lions that attempted to get in his way were hit by a barrage of bullets from Alyx, and Gordon managed to the dodge the rest before doing a baseball slide hands first towards the thumper. Scrambling to his feet, Gordon looked back across the valley to see Victory latched onto the guardian's head, holding steadfast while it snapped back and forth viciously.

He clambered up the ladder on the side of the thumper, heading for the control panel at the top. Standing atop the platform, he saw the ant-lions attempting to scamper towards him, but backing away with every impact from the thumper. His gaze travelled down to the gas canisters gathered at the base of the thumper.

Taking a breath, he slammed a fist down on the thick red button in front of him. An alarm sounded from the thumper as the jackhammer below him slowed to a halt. The ant-lions and acid-lions looked up at him in sudden hope.

Gordon tilted his head up. "Victory!"

The Vort's head snapped up to look at him, and Gordon jerked his head to the right. With a thumbs up gesture he clearly delighted in using, Victory leapt off from the guardian, rolling to a halt a safe distance from the creature. Freed of the troublesome Vortigaunt, the guardian shook its head about before locking on to Gordon again. After rearing up, it charged towards the thumper, head down like a bull. Gordon mounted the guardrail of the metal platform, revolver drawn. The guardian slammed into the inert thumper, shaking it from its foundation with a solid clang. Its head wavered for a few moments, having dizzied itself from the blow.

Revolver aimed down at the gas canisters, Gordon fired. He heard the bullet hit the canister with a metallic _ping_ just as he pushed off from the guardrail, sailing down through the air as a great mountain of flame rushed up behind him. Hot air propelled him a little faster than he would have liked, and he tucked in his head and limbs. He hit the ground shoulder first, and he bounced along the ground in the best approximation of a ball that his pained body could manage. Finally skidding to a halt flat on his back on the other side of the valley, Gordon stared up at the blue sky, his glasses now down by his mouth.

He heard ant-lion legs scampering over, and tiredly lifted his head to see the blurry gang of bugs fast encroaching on him. A flash of green light made Gordon squint, and the shower of yellow blood turned it into a wince, bringing his hand up to cover his eyes.

Silhouetted by the bright blue sky, Victory looked down on him, both thumbs up in the air. "Well done, Freeman!"

After bringing his glasses to their proper position, Gordon let his head drop back to the ground and closed his eyes, returning the gesture. "Thanks." Suddenly, he jerked his head up again. "It _is _dead, isn't it?"

Enthused, Victory nodded. "Quite so," he said reverently, holding a hand out to display the guardian to him.

Propping himself up on his elbows Gordon saw the blackened remains of the guardian beside the thumper, flames roasting its still form. Aside from a few black scorch marks, the thumper was undamaged. Casting a vague look around the valley, he saw that the ant-lions and acid-lions had retreated. He _really _hoped that would be the last he saw of them, at least for a little while.

With a loud beep that made Gordon jump, his HEV suit sprang to life. Looking down, he saw Victory, palm outstretched towards him and a cord of green energy trickling forth. He watched the power of the suit increase as Alyx walked over to them, crouching down beside him.

"Nice work, Gordon." She slipped away her pistol. "Sorry I couldn't be more help. I'm still a little weak."

He waved a dismissive hand through the air, enjoying the rush of the morphine the rejuvenated HEV suit sent through him. It was at just about half-power when Victory stopped the recharge, his hand dropping tiredly.

The Vort grinned. "Freeman, you dispatched the guardian with great dispatch." He stretched a hand out to him. "Come now. The vehicle we seek is in the encampment above."

Sighing, Gordon slipped his revolver away and clapped his hand into Victory's, the Vort pulling him to his feet with little effort. He excitedly led the way to the elevator, though Gordon walked behind to keep apace with Alyx.

"So," she said, still visibly trying to catch her breath, "Victory, huh?"

"Well… technically, it's Victory Mine."

"Victory Mine?"

He nodded. "It's the name of the mining complex."

She let out a quiet 'oh', then frowned. "Wait… it's the 'Victory Mine' mine?"

"That's what I thought," Gordon agreed gratefully, glad that someone else appreciated the weirdness.

Victory waited for them at the elevator shaft, the door of which he had opened by charging the generator.

"This lift will carry us to where the vehicle awaits," he said, walking into the elevator ahead of them. Gesturing for her to go first, Gordon followed Alyx inside before sliding the door shut. He pressed the control for them to ascend, and the rickety elevator shook to life. Gordon moved to the front of the elevator alongside Victory, whose gaze was directed upwards.

"Puzzling," the Vort mused, "the sentries should have spotted us by now."

"You think the Combine found them?" Alyx asked.

He shook his head sadly. "Such a theory is hardly farfetched."

They all rocked simultaneously as the elevator jolted to a stop. Gordon shoved the gate aside and moved through, a cautious hand on the revolver as he moved into the shadowy corridor beyond. It took them to a half closed garage door, dented open from the bottom. After exchanging a worried glance with Alyx, Gordon drew the revolver and slipped underneath.

A dropped Combine troop transport lay in front of him, having crashed through the roof. The bright sky shining in was offset by the encroaching dark clouds, casting shadows on the rubble and dead bodies gathered around the transport. There were both rebels and Combine soldiers laying dead, their heads eviscerated by headcrabs.

"Oh God," Alyx said from behind him, sounding more tired than disgusted. "The Combine found them all right."

Victory growled down at the bodies disparagingly. "But came to no good end themselves. Headcrabs have had their way with both parties."

Trying his best not to think about the vicious three way massacre, Gordon slipped his revolver away and picked a pulse rifle up from the floor. An orange light he had never noticed on the rifle was alight, and Gordon pointed it out to Alyx questioningly.

"Means the secondary fire is charged," she said distractedly, moving past him and out the other end of the garage.

His bottom lip sticking out, Gordon nodded appreciatively. He remembered using the secondary fire against an Elite back in City 17; it was definitely effective at killing things. Gordon followed them out, dragging his eyes from the pulse rifle and to the vista stretching out before him.

They were on a stone platform attached to a warehouse on their right. A tall fence had been erected in front of the platform, running its entire width between a wall on his left and a bunker on the right, stretching out a couple of feet from the platform. There was a dark, open doorway on the warehouse beside them. A Combine console had been erected at the middle of the platform. The left side of the platform was cut off by a metal door, a small window on the wall beside it offering a view to a road on the other side, leading into a tunnel. A heavy metal door closed off the tunnel.

The platform overlooked a complex of warehouses, which stretched out beneath them for about half a mile before a thick river of sludge. It was what remained of the reservoir, blocked off by a dam on the far right, though the water had long since been replaced with a green mess. It looked positively radioactive, though that was probably Gordon's pessimism replacing good sense.

A towering white stone wall on the other side of the river led up to a grassy slope. The slope ran along the entire width of the cliffside, its height reaching just beneath a wide road bridge. It extended out of the middle of the cliffside, the end that Gordon could see leading to a caved in tunnel. Old cars had been left astray all along the bridge, the middle of which had become separate from the roads on either end, the surface cracked and broken as though from an earthquake. Whatever had caused it had left the middle section resting on a thin stone support, like an incredibly unstable seesaw.

Movement attracted Gordon's eye to the closest end of the bridge, to the road leading to the closed off tunnel he had spotted on the other side of the door. It was Him, walking away from the bridge and toward the tunnel. Gordon's mouth went dry, his hands tightening around the pulse rifle.

"Hey, look! Out on that bridge," Alyx said urgently, and Gordon marvelled over at her. She had spotted Him? Watching her, however, he saw that she was peering out at the opposite side of the bridge, where the tunnel had caved in. "I think I see the car you were talking about."

Gordon's heart sank, and he turned back to the window. Eyes focused ahead, He just continued walking from right to left until He vanished out of Gordon's field of vision. Walking at the pace He was, He would have bumped face first into the door of the tunnel. Of course, Gordon knew Him better by now. There was probably a portal at His command, shaped like a gleaming white doorway. Looking left, Gordon saw another window in the metal wall there, allowing him a view of a control booth, presumably for the metal door blocking their way.

Alyx's tapping on the Combine control panel brought him back to reality, and Gordon turned to join them at the monitor. He saw a camera atop the bunker on the right of the platform twist around, red light beneath the lens flashing. Eyes on the monitor, he saw it zoom in on a yellow car trapped on the far side of the bridge, barricaded in by several others. Unlike most of the vehicles Gordon had seen in and around City 17, this one had wheels, and headlights that weren't cracked. Such a thing seemed impossible to him.

"It appears they attempted an escape," Victory said contemplatively, "but made it no farther than the abyss."

Nodding, Alyx looked over to Gordon. "Well if they got it over there, maybe we can jump it back onto this side," she suggested lightly, swooshing her arm through the air in a manner that made Gordon's stomach tighten just thinking about it.

Silent for a moment, Victory held out a hand towards Gordon. "We recommend the Freeman for this task."

Gordon's eyebrows shot up.

Her face dropping, Alyx addressed Victory. "Hey, I'm feeling a lot better," she said defensively, though her heart clearly wasn't in it.

Victory closed his eye and shook his head. "That condition will not last long if you plunge into the toxins below. We would do well to lend our protection from above, while Freeman skirts the hazards in the pit."

Gordon had started nodding while Victory had been talking, and stepped forward to talk to Alyx once he was done. "He's right. You should-" he frowned at Victory. "Toxins?"

The Vortigaunt had already turned away, however, sauntering over to the bunker on the other side of the platform, stopping at the entrance. "This mounted gun may prove useful," Victory murmured, disappearing inside.

Shrugging at Alyx, Gordon followed along with her, revealing the sniper rifle mounted in the corner of the bunker, giving it a view of pretty much the entire maze of warehouses beneath them. Victory was knelt beside it, inspecting the barrel. "The gun would appear to be powerless." He double-glanced at Gordon before shooting him an almost irritated look. "Go, Freeman. I will look after the Alyx Vance."

That was seemingly the end of the conversation, as Victory returned to the machinegun to recharge it. The green glow emanating from Victory's palm lit Alyx's face as she looked at him with a resigned smile.

"Well, Gordon… I guess it's all up to you."

His shoulders slumped, he sighed. "Seems like it."

With a wry smile, she put both hands on his shoulders and turned him around so he was facing the doorway. "Careful now," she said, her tone evidencing far more enjoyment than was really necessary. She gave him a light shove through the threshold, and he stumbled into the darkness.

The corridors were cramped at first, cold and made of stone. Gordon moved on down the stairs into an even darker room. Flicking the flashlight on, he searched around before settling on the entrance to an old elevator shaft. The shaft was empty, the elevator creaking further above him. With a struggle that sounded more mighty than it actually was, Gordon managed to wedge the elevator doors open and squeeze through. He was only a couple of levels up, and managed to leap to the floor without too much difficulty.

Navigating through the complex wasn't as complicated as he had originally anticipated, and only the occasional zombie offered any difficulty. Most made so much noise as they approached him, he probably would have been able to blast them apart without his flashlight illuminating them.

His seemingly aimless wandering eventually brought him back outside, entering a stairwell ensconced in grated metal plating. Moving around to descend further, he saw a zombie clambering to its feet halfway down the stairwell. A thin blue laser appeared through a gap in the metal plating, zeroing in on the zombie's headcrab. A gunshot cracked through the air, and the headcrab exploded in a cloud of yellow mist. The zombie collapsed to the floor at Gordon's feet.

Alyx's voice echoed out from above. "Hey, we got the rifle charged up."

Sneaking further down the steps, Gordon peeked up through the gap in the plating and saw the other side of the sniper bunker just above him. He waved gratefully before turning around and proceeding down the rest of the stairs. They led to another door taking him back inside, and Gordon couldn't help the tired sigh before he moved inside.

The next ten minutes were taken up with ducking in and out or darkened corridors and murky outdoor passageways. Zombies and zombines lurched out of every corner and doorway, and Gordon managed to dodge, shove and generally avoid most of them, leading them outside long enough for Alyx to take aim.

He finally navigated his way outdoors permanently, coming out into a deep white trench. Memories of the City 17 canals rushed back to him. Taking a deep breath, he promptly gagged and coughed at the rank smell drifting over to him from… somewhere. Ah. Even more memories of the City 17 canals.

A ladder took him up and away from the sludge around his ankles, though the smell remained, presumably coming from the river that he was gradually approaching. His journey mainly consisted of squeezing his way through narrow corridors between warehouses and shimmying along the smallest of ledges.

Another series of ladders led to small, cramped platforms, eventually taking him to the ceiling of a sprawling warehouse. A patchwork of corrugated metal sheets stretched out across the angular ceiling, though some seemed looser than others. Right above him was the cracked edge of the bridge, though the grey clouds above were making it difficult to tell where the crack was exactly.

"There you are!" Alyx called out.

Circling around, Gordon saw the sniper bunker, now even further up and at an angle to him. He gave a little salute, freezing in place when he heard a collection of zombie groans from the warehouse beneath him. Crouching down beside an open gap between metal sheets, Gordon saw zombies gathering from all corners of the empty space below. After glancing back at Alyx, Gordon brought the Gravity Gun around. He pulled the loose sheets of metal towards him and fired them off into the distance.

Without a word, Alyx aimed and fired through each gap as he moved around the warehouse ceiling, systematically yanking two rows of metal sheets and shooting them off out sight. They echoed distantly, clanging between unseen warehouse walls. Gordon watched patiently while Alyx cleared the room below. A zombine pulled a grenade from its belt, which took out several of its brethren and jolted loose the section of roof Gordon was sat upon.

Not even given the time to scramble for a grip, Gordon tumbled down into the darkness, landing on a cushion of three zombie bodies. Blinking in surprise at the soft landing, Gordon clambered to his feet, only to be confronted with a circle of yet more zombies and zombines lurching towards him from doorways all around the warehouse.

A blue laser came to rest against a zombine's headcrab, promptly exploding with an echoing bang.

"I got your back, Gordon!"

Bringing the pulse rifle up, Gordon started firing, concentrating on the zombies in front of and walking towards them as he did so, putting distance between him and those coming at him from behind. With Alyx's help, they were down before Gordon had even reached them, and he turned to face the horde of zombies coming at him from the other side of the warehouse. Amongst them was the limping, moaning form of a poison headcrab zombie, red raw body swollen and hunched over. He only managed to kill one zombie before the pulse rifle clicked, empty.

Cricking his neck, Gordon ran to the far side of the room, putting the group of zombies at an angle to him. He pressed the glowing button beside the trigger guard on the pulse rifle, and gripped it steadfast as a low whine built in pitch. With a kickback that made him stumble a little, the secondary fire of the pulse rifle ejected forth, the glowing orb ploughing through the creatures and leaving only ethereal blurs behind.

The zombies not hit by the orb didn't miss a beat, continuing their slow journey towards him even as the energy sphere exploded above their heads, showering sparks down upon them. Gordon tossed the useless pulse rifle away. There were only half a dozen or so left, and with a slightly impatient gesture towards the crowd, he looked up at Alyx.

"Okay, okay, don't worry…"

The familiar blue laser hovered into view, and several piercing gunshots later, Gordon was alone in the warehouse. After giving Alyx a grateful little salute, he retreated out the back door, continuing on his navigation of the ladders and makeshift platforms that made up the canals around the complex.

After what felt like twenty minutes of aimless exploration, Gordon found himself at the river of sludge he had spied from the platform. Looking back, he saw that Alyx and Victory were barely as big as flies at this distance.

"You're almost there!" Alyx's voice echoed out.

Waving his hand around to signal that he had heard, Gordon looked back to the river. His HEV suit's Geiger counter crackled, warning him of radioactive material nearby. So he had been right. Gordon felt an odd pride at his earlier cynicism paying off. It was dampened by the fact that he would somehow have to _cross _said river of radioactive sludge. On the other side, Gordon could see an almost submerged platform on the opposite side, a ladder leading up the immense white wall and onto the slope just beneath the bridge.

Old cars that had fallen from the bridge overhead were half submerged in the bubbling mess. He looked down at the Gravity Gun, and promptly felt a light bulb switch on above his head.

Backing up on the concrete floor, Gordon took a running jump for the nearest car, landing feet first on the trunk and face-planting on the top of the car. Readjusting his glasses and scrambling to his feet, Gordon noted with some level of urgency that the car was sinking. Another car was close, diagonally parallel to him. Gravity Gun raised, Gordon blasted it further forward until it was out of range.

Crouching down at the back of the sinking car, Gordon ran and leapt to the next. Close enough now to chance a leap for the platform, Gordon backed up and did the best running jump he could manage on a car half covered in radioactive, viscous slime. His upper body landed on the platform, no problem, though his legs ended up splashing in the liquid and prompting a panicked series of beeps and flashing warnings from the HEV suit. Gordon clambered out, and noticed that the sludge had managed to drain about ten percent of his power.

He groaned. This car better be _amazing._

The ladder was a very long, drudging affair, his legs aching as he approached the top. Gasping for air and wondering what happened to the fitness he had attained from hours spent on the treadmill and the running track (not to mention running for his life five days straight), Gordon collapsed to the grassy slope.

"Good work!" Alyx shouted, her voice even more distant. "You're almost to the car!"

"Oh… am I…" he croaked, tired eyes focused on a cloud that looked like the nose of a mark 2V anti-mass spectrometer. Blinking the scientific thoughts away, Gordon tilted his head to the right, and saw the bridge looming not far from him. Rolling over, Gordon rested his forehead against the grass before heaving himself to his feet yet again. He looked forward to the day that simply getting up off the floor would stop being a titanic effort.

Grass crunching beneath his boots, Gordon trudged up the slope and to the ladder leading to a maintenance walkway just beside the tall safety barriers of the bridge. He clambered up and walked out through a gap in the barriers, stepping out onto the road attached to the bridge. Well, sort of attached.

"Gordon!" Alyx called. "Can you see the car yet?"

He looked up and down, and spotted the large yellow car, waiting patiently for him. Gordon walked over to it, running a hand over the top. It was really only the back of the vehicle that was yellow, everything from the midsection of the car onwards having been removed, leaving only the skeleton of an automobile. A large engine sat in the front of the car, and two worn leather seats had been placed in the cab.

Hand on the metal bar that would have once been the doorframe, Gordon looked over the dashboard. Three pedals, wheel, more buttons than were necessary… a red one had a label atop it that read 'turbo'. Interesting. Judging by the gear stick, it was manual, with a thick handbrake behind that. The state of the vehicle reminded him of the buggy he had driven along the coast roads, though this car was much bigger. Whether that was a good thing or not, Gordon didn't know. Was this a good car?

Thunder grumbled in the distance, and Gordon's eye was drawn to the horizon. At least half the size of what it had been before, Gordon could see the tendril of bright portal energy from the Citadel twisting and thrashing about from where it connected to the clouds. A white flash blinded him for a moment, and Gordon winced, putting up his hand in front of his face. He knew what was coming.

When he brought his hand back down, he sighed expectantly at the dome of blue energy that shot out towards him. He crouched down as he had seen Alyx do last time, and the wave brushed over him without much incident. With an impressed grunt, Gordon got back to his feet.

That wasn't so-

The ground shook beneath him, and Gordon scowled, looking at the Citadel portal irritably. _Another _portal storm? As his eyes drifted down, however, he saw that the quakes were coming from something much closer. The bridge, separate from the roads that had once joined it on either end, was tilting on the support based at its middle. Ever so slightly agape, Gordon could only watch with wide eyes as he saw the end of the bridge in front of him tilt up, and far higher than any car could manage.

"…ah," he said, his voice a disappointed monotone.

Blowing out an exasperated breath, Gordon looked back and forth between the bridge and the car. He moved to the metal barrier on the other side of the road and clambered up on top. Arms outstretched on either side, he walked along the narrow path of ageing red metal. He stopped where the metal had broken away from the rest of the bridge, the cracked road at eye level.

He patted the ledge with his hands a few times to test its dexterity before leaping, slamming his forearms down on the road and heaving himself up. It brought him up on the right-hand corner of the bridge, and as he got to his feet, the ground beneath him began to crack. The metal support beams that arched over both sides of the road creaked and groaned ominously. Finally, with a snapping noise unlike any other Gordon had heard before, the supports on the right side of the road collapsed away, taking a section of the road away with it.

Wobbling back, Gordon swung his arms about frantically before rushing to the left, the ground falling away from his feet with each stumbling step. Finally, he leapt, rolling along the ground until he ended up lying on his side, watching the support beams fall away into the river below. The water rumbled and hissed beneath him, the low noise merging with the thunder of the Citadel portal.

"Okay," he muttered, pushing himself to his feet and looking down the slope the bridge had become. About a dozen rusting cars and vans were gathered at the far end, almost as though they were weighing the bridge down.

Another light bulb lit up above his head, and Gordon slowly made his way down with the Gravity Gun. He blasted the cars away, tipping them off the bridge and onto the warehouses below. There was an almost continuous series of metallic crashes and groans beneath him while he knocked the cars from the bridge. Only three were left when the bridge began to tip back. Gordon kept on blasting the cars, paranoid they would slide back onto him.

When the final cars had been removed, Gordon moved back down the bridge, leaning back to accommodate for the sudden opposite slant, taking him down the towards the road where the car waited. Once at the bottom, Gordon managed to clamber up onto the road and made his way to the car. When he attempted to slip inside, Gordon sat on the Gravity Gun. Yelping, he promptly leapt up again, glaring down at the seat while he rubbed his backside. Removing the Gravity Gun strap from his shoulders, Gordon slipped it over the headrest of the chair so that the device itself was resting on the metal framework below.

Satisfied, Gordon sat down, the leather chair creaking beneath him. He shuffled about a little, reaching underneath and adjusting the chair, sliding back and forward until he was comfortable. The ignition was a button beneath the wheel where the keyhole would have been. Pressing it in, Gordon was momentarily shocked by the volume of the engine, the roar it let out making his head jerk back. It thrummed and vibrated through the entire car. Gordon wrapped both hands around the steering wheel.

Yeah. This was a good car.

He reversed up, the car shooting back with more speed and power than Gordon had been expecting. Coming to a stop at the mouth of the caved in tunnel, Gordon stared forward with a wide, breathless expression. He smiled. _Definitely _a good car. Checking ahead, he made sure the car was lined up with the ramp the bridge had become. Taking a deep breath and holding it, Gordon rammed it into first and slammed his foot down. The car launched forward with a burst of speed that slammed his head back into the headrest.

The car easily hurtled over the gap between the road and the lower surface of the bridge. It began to lose speed as it moved up the bridge and towards the other side, and Gordon glanced down at the turbo button. Shrugging, he pressed it.

A roar from the engine made Gordon's eyes bulge as his body almost sank into the chair, the wind pressing against his face as the car shot forwards, finally hurtling itself over the abyss and bouncing to the ground on the other side. Gordon slammed a foot down on the brake as the car continued to charge towards the closed metal gate in front of the tunnel. The engine seemed to calm itself the harder he pressed on the pedal, and it finally came to a stop with the front bumper just an inch or so from the gate.

Letting out the breath he realised he had been holding the entire time, Gordon slumped back in the chair, his hands falling away from the wheel. He glanced around the area, and saw the steps on the left that led up to the other side of the metal door that had blocked their path on the platform. Beside it was a small, metal, office-like compartment, which he guessed was the control booth he had seen earlier. Just beside the gate was a series of stone steps leading to an inert portable generator atop a fenced platform.

After yanking up the handbrake and switching off the car, Gordon moved to the booth. Once inside, he saw Alyx on the other side. She smiled, rapping the back of her finger against the window. With a small smile and a wave, Gordon moved to the control panel beneath the dirty window and pressed what he assumed was the release button. The door slid into the roof silently, and he watched Alyx and Victory move through.

Gordon moved out of the booth to meet them, reuniting beside the car. He leant against the back of the car, arms folded. Grinning, Alyx nodded appreciatively.

"Great driving, Gordon!"

"Well done, Freeman!" Victory enthused.

Alyx's expression slowly changed when her eyes settled on the car. Almost entranced, Alyx moved past Gordon and walked slowly around the car, inspecting it with hands on her knees.

"Oh my God…"

Unsure of whether that was good or bad, Gordon exchanged a look with Victory, who just smiled politely, clearly confused as to why anyone would have an opinion on a car.

"Look at this car." Alyx turned to Gordon, grinning. "We _scored."_

Feeling proud for some reason, Gordon shrugged and adjusted his glasses. "Well… it _does _go fast."

"Shotgun!" Alyx announced excitedly, and Gordon frowned.

Wait, what? _He _was driving? Not that Gordon _couldn't _drive, but… driving in front of Alyx? That required a level of confidence he wasn't quite sure he had.

Suddenly remembering Victory behind her, Alyx turned to face him, hands up apologetically. "Oh… unless _you _want it."

Red eye cast on the ground sadly, Victory shook his head. "I fear a more urgent errand demands our attention; there are Advisors yet unhatched."

Letting out an 'ah' of understanding that indicated an earlier conversation Gordon hadn't been around for, Alyx nodded. "We'll keep on the lookout."

With a grand gesture of his hand towards the tunnel, Victory looked to them both. "This road will take you near to White Forest, but be wary that others may use it as well."

Nodding again, Alyx clutched her hands together in front of her, staring at the Vortigaunt hesitantly. "I can't tell you how grateful I am."

Victory shook his head, waving a dismissive hand through the air. "Our bonds are of nature, and require no gratitude."

Her mouth hung open for a moment unsurely before she reached over to Victory, gently pulling him towards her and kissing him lightly on the cheek. The pale brown of his face became a light yet distinct shade of pink before the Vortigaunt wiggled his head from side to side, averting his gaze in an almost embarrassed gesture. With a kind smile, Alyx rubbed Victory's arm before walking around to the other side of the car and slipping inside.

Glancing back at her, Gordon moved off from the car, letting his hands drop down by his sides. Victory's blush had quickly faded, which was good. It would have just made Gordon feel even more awkward. Expressing genuine emotions to an alien slug with an innocent, bulbous red eye was weird enough.

"I, uh…" He cleared his throat, took a breath, and started again. "I wanted to thank you. You helped Alyx, and… that's important. She's… important."

"Indeed," Victory growled, bowing his head. He fixed Gordon with a grateful stare, hands clasped together in front of him. "Thank you for my name, Freeman."

Gordon shrugged. "Don't mention it. But you can stop using it now, if you want."

"Certainly not," he scoffed, sounding distinctly Magnusson-like. "To be named by the Freeman! Others linked through the Vortessence shall experience emotions not unlike what you call jealousy."

"Oh. I… don't know how to take that."

Tilting his head to the side as though that were the end of the conversation, Victory jogged up the stairs to the generator, and pressed his hands to the top. Befuddled, Gordon blinked a few times before hopping into the car. He pressed the ignition as Victory charged the generator. The gate slid up in front of them, groaning in a very worrying manner as it ascended.

Alyx raised a hand to Victory. "Stay safe."

"Likewise, and farewell," the Vortigaunt called out, waving a cheerful arm. "It has been an honour."

Smiling contentedly at the new friend they had made and hoping it wouldn't be the last time they saw each other, Gordon put the car in gear and lowered the handbrake. He eased the pedals, and-

The car jerked forward, the engine stalling and leaving them in silence. Gordon stared straight down the tunnel. He could feel Alyx and Victory staring at him. The Citadel portal rumbled in the distance.

Taking a breath, Gordon looked from Victory, to Alyx, then down the tunnel again. "Let's pretend that never happened."

He pressed the ignition, and the car thrummed to life. Hands gripping the wheel, and still keeping his gaze straight ahead, Gordon moved the pedals, _carefully_ this time, and took them into the darkened tunnel, heading for the arch of sunlight gleaming in the distance.

Gordon attempted not to sulk too much when he noticed Alyx desperately trying not to laugh.

* * *

(A/N: Hey, thanks for all the reviews, everyone! Keep it up!)


	9. Riding Shotgun

Disclaimer: I don't own _Half-Life._

_**Aftermath**_

_**Chapter Nine: Riding Shotgun**_

With an authoritative clearing of her throat, Alyx managed to stop the fit of giggles as they emerged from the tunnel onto a woodland road. The terrain around the road was rocky, punctuated by fir trees sprouting out from all around them. On their left, a sparkling, shallow river rushed past in the opposite direction, reflecting both the sunlight and the blue glow of the Citadel portal. On the other side of the river, a well beaten path curved in a zigzag up a slope beyond and out of Gordon's sight.

Bringing his gaze back up to the road, Gordon saw a wall of crashed cars piled up at the entrance of another tunnel ahead. He slammed down the brakes, and they skid to a grinding halt on the gritty road. Alyx slammed a hand down on the dashboard and grunted, grasping onto the chair with the other. The engine hummed, vibrating the car as Alyx peered through the front at the blocked tunnel.

"Should've known it wouldn't be as easy as just driving down the road," she said with a wry smile. "Looks like we'll have to take a detour."

Looking back over his shoulder, Gordon saw a gap in the metal barrier separating the road from the riverbank. Shoving the car into the reverse, Gordon backed up through the gap and into the river. Water splashed onto their backs from behind, and Alyx groaned, wiping cold water from her exposed neck.

"Sorry," Gordon mumbled, accelerating along the river and secretly enjoying the sprays of water that shot out either side. He eventually turned, climbing the other side of the riverbank and driving up the pathway. Turning back and forth on the long 'S' shape of the path, Gordon spotted flashing red dots coming from somewhere on top of the hill.

His glasses being as murky as they were, Gordon couldn't quite make out what it was, and pointed. "Can you see that?"

Alyx followed his gaze and sat forward in her seat. "A radio tower! If it's working, we need to send a warning to White Forest. They've got no idea the Combine's heading their way."

With a terse nod, Gordon increased speed, kicking up a cloud of dust behind them as he did a hairpin on the last turning.

"Gordon," Alyx laughed, admonishing.

With a shrug, Gordon continued driving up the hill, bringing them to a resistance encampment. A wooden fence ran around the perimeter of the camp, reminding Gordon of the old towns in westerns. The image was completed by the gate they drove underneath, the attached sign with a spray painted lambda symbol swinging in the wind.

The radio tower stood atop a large warehouse on the left, red lights flashing around three dishes fixed to the tip. The front three quarters of the warehouse were stripped bare, the ceiling and walls missing or falling apart. The rear section of the building was in better shape, slightly bulkier than the rest and the part that the radio tower was erected upon. There were still some holes in the walls, though they were much smaller.

Thick cables ran along the roof of the warehouse and above their heads, leading to one of two smaller buildings opposite. They were more the size of a bungalow, the one closest to them both the largest and the one attached to the other end of the cables. The troughs and wooden trailers resting about the buildings betrayed the encampment's farming origins.

Gordon cut the ignition, and the car rumbled into silence. Wind rushed around the Combine portal, and thunder rumbled in the distance.

Alyx pulled herself up from her seat, holding on to the metal bar above her head. "Nobody's home," she murmured, her voice the only sound in the encampment. "Wonder how long it's been deserted."

Slipping out of the car, Gordon lifted the Gravity Gun from its' spot hanging from the headrest. He looked around with a wary eye as he slipped it over his shoulders. "Not sure if I like it."

She 'hmm'ed her agreement, pulling out her pistol as she ventured a few steps away from the car. "They must have a transmitter in one of these buildings."

Gordon nodded, tracing a finger through the air along the cable from the warehouse to the building. "That one, I think."

Moving together to either side of the front door, Gordon tried not to show how much he enjoyed doing the 'count to three, then jump into insane situation' ritual. He kicked the door open, covering Alyx with the revolver as she ran inside. It was a large, tiled room, like a large kitchen. Two rooms in the far left-hand corner were a bathroom and a toilet, respectively. Both were scummy and obviously hadn't seen much use in recent years.

"Well, here's the transmitter," Alyx said, holstering her pistol and rushing over to the right corner.

Following her, Gordon joined her at a large widescreen monitor mounted on the peeling wall, in much better condition than the one they had used in that shack a few hours ago. Gathered on a metal table beneath it were stacks of radio controls, with the odd computer tower thrown in for good measure. They were all linked up to the monitor through no cables Gordon could see, though he did note the cabinets pressed to the walls that probably would have hummed if they were active.

Confirming Gordon's assessment, Alyx poked at a couple of buttons and dials before sighing back at him. "No power, though. Let's see if we can get some electricity going."

Nodding tiredly, Gordon moved back outside, making a beeline for the warehouse opposite. That was where the radio tower was based, after all. Looking through the gaping holes in the walls, there wasn't anything of use in the front section of the warehouse, just collapsed bits of ceilings and piles of bricks. The back section was blocked from the inside by a series of wooden shelves on the left side and locked wooden doors on the right.

Edging around the right side of the warehouse, Gordon walked up a slope that rose up to the side of the building, almost consuming that corner. It gave him easy access to the roof of the building, and, holstering the revolver for the moment, Gordon climbed aboard.

"I'll keep a lookout while you poke around inside," Alyx called out from below, and promptly ran back into the open, taking up a position beside the car.

Clambering up the back section of the roof, Gordon had to concentrate hard on his footing, the wavy metal surface slipping even beneath the grips of his boots. Though they had probably been melted away by explosions and clogged up with sludge, blood and mud by this point. Gordon let out an impressed grunt out how poetic that sounded before continuing along, eventually resorting to climbing along on all fours.

He finally came across a hole in the wall on the other side of the building, and dropped down to the ground there. Gaps in the wall ahead on the left looked through into the front section of the warehouse. He was in what appeared like an outdoor corridor, blocked off from the rest of the encampment by tall brick walls. Not so tall he couldn't have climbed over, though. Grumbling, Gordon turned and leapt up with his arms stretched out above his head, latching on to the hole and heaving himself through. It wasn't a graceful landing, his head tipping through first and his legs flipping over his head before he slammed onto his back.

Groaning, he gave his head a little shake before sitting up, setting his askew glasses straight. Shelves ran along the left wall and along to the one opposite Gordon, stacked to the gills with bottles of various industrial cleansers. All of them were ancient, caked in dust and cobwebs. A long counter in the middle of the room had two sinks, one on either side. Tucked into the far left corner of the room was a rather out-of-place lift platform. Or at least, there would have been a lift platform if the power had been on. As it was, it was just a square hole in the ground.

Getting to his feet, Gordon's boots kicked against broken bottles and small chunks of wood. Reaching the hole in the ground, Gordon dropped down the single story to the basement below. The latticework metal platform rattled against the impact of his feet. Stepping inside, Gordon checked around the bare, darkened room, his eyes finally settling on the wall almost behind him on the right. A thick power cable hung from one of two large metal power outlets. The other inlet rested askew on the floor. He opened his mouth to ask Alyx for advice before slamming it shut again. Shrugging, he picked up the plug and clamped it into the outlet.

Something electric hummed into life above him, and a light shone down onto the elevator platform from the floor above.

"Okay, power's on out here!" Alyx called out.

Gordon nodded, satisfied with himself as he stepped onto the platform and pressed the ascend button. All things considered, that was easier than he-

He saw Alyx leaping down through the upper hole in the wall on the right, her face wrought with panic.

"God, oh god," she whispered, sprinting over and skidding to a halt behind the counter, putting it between her and the rest of the warehouse ahead. "Gordon, _hide." _

Revolver clutched tightly in his hand, Gordon crouched down behind the counter. Looking up through the thin windows that lined the upper corners of the room, he saw a set of two familiar blue eyes glaring through.

"Hunters," Alyx whispered, her voice catching. "They're out there."

It disappeared from the window, leaping up out of sight. Gordon wasn't sure if it had spotted them or not. Powerful hooves thumped above them, thin wisps of dust trickling down with every footstep.

Finger to her lips, Alyx frantically shushed. "It's on the roof…"

Their eyes followed the footsteps as they banged overhead, until the Hunter finally leapt down through a hole in the ceiling and into the front section of the warehouse. It was separated from them by the shelves and locked doors Gordon had spotted from the other side.

"Here it comes," Alyx chanted, pistol grasped up by her head. "They're not gonna catch me off guard," she said determinedly, eyes locked on the ground. "Not this time."

A series of flashes made Gordon duck his head, a sound accompanying them that reminded him of bullets shooting through water. It terrified him a little that he knew what that sounded like. Thin black darts shot through the air, leaving a thin trail of luminescent blue light and lodging into the wall behind them. The dart was wider at the back, holding a sack of glowing blue liquid that was responsible for the light trail he had seen before. A high pitched whine filled the air, and Gordon looked up at the darts with a cautious wince.

The whine increased in pitch until it almost hurt his ears before finally exploding, leaving a crater in the brickwork and showering white hot sparks down on them. Alyx seemed unaffected by the blast, holding her pistol in the air and firing blindly at the Hunter. Revolver ahead of him, Gordon crawled to the edge of the counter and peered around.

An unseen nozzle beneath the Hunter's eyes flashed like a strobe light, firing more darts towards them and gradually smashing through the doors and shelves that separated them. It wouldn't be long before it made its way through and attacked them head on, and Gordon didn't really rate their chances in this confined space. Because of the manner in which the Hunter was strafing from side to side, only a few of Alyx's shots actually made contact, and those that did weren't having much of an effect. Gordon stretched his arm around and took aim, hitting the Hunter in the side.

The Hunter twitched a little, and a small stream of grey goo spilled out from the wound. Then it abruptly stopped, and the Hunter continued on as though nothing had happened. Gordon pulled himself back behind the counter, closing his eyes and jerking his head away when more darts exploded above their heads. He tapped Alyx on the leg. Still keeping her gun perched above the counter, she looked at him frantically, trying to keep control in the face of the creature that had nearly killed her.

"Guns aren't working!" he shouted, before pointing to the hole in the wall. "Out in the open!"

Glancing unsurely from him and to the ledge of the counter, Alyx eventually nodded her agreement, albeit reluctantly.

Gordon jerked a finger towards the hole. "I'll cover you, then I'll follow!"

Counting to three with his fingers, Gordon leapt to his feet while Alyx sprinted around the counter with her head down. He fired off three shots at the Hunter, only managing to hit it with two. It was more than enough time for Alyx to nimbly grab onto the ledge and vault through the hole, disappearing onto the other side. Gordon prepared his sprint when an almighty crash from the other side of the counter made him reconsider, wood and glass showering onto him.

The Hunter was on top of the counter, blank eyes snarling down at him. Gordon jumped to his feet, charging around the counter and sprinting through the now smashed shelving. He tripped and stumbled into the open section of the warehouse, and went for the holes in the wall on the left that led to the outdoor corridor he had been in earlier. A row of darts embedding into the ground ahead of him forced a detour, and Gordon did a sharp turn away, jumping from the explosions and rolling along the ground.

He came to a stop just in front of the locked wooden doors that led out to the encampment, and leapt to his feet in time to see the Hunter charging into his chest. It felt like a battering ram, and threw him back and through the wooden doors faster than his brain could keep up with. Within a few seconds, he was rolling and skidding along the dusty ground of the encampment. The Hunter followed him out, stopping for a brief moment at the doorway of the warehouse before charging at him again.

Gunshots from Gordon's left hit the Hunter in the legs, and it stumbled off-course. It was Alyx, standing beside the corner of the warehouse. The Hunter growled and lowered its head, shaking it almost angrily before charging at her instead. Gordon scrambled to his feet, Gravity Gun at the ready. Head whipping about, he saw the trough he had spotted earlier, and yanked it to him. Whirling on the spot, he fired it at the back of the Hunter. The metal container hit the Hunter at an angle, bouncing off and into the air, making the creature stumble. It almost looked like it would fall over, and Alyx backed out of the way, moving around Gordon and behind him.

Gordon pulled the trough to him again, and aimed it towards the dizzied Hunter, which was turning towards them. He fired, hitting it head on and knocking it onto its' back. The trough ricocheted into the air, and Gordon snatched it towards him again. The Hunter was getting back up again, its legs shaky. Its once smooth dark blue surface was cracked and leaking grey liquid which pooled at its feet. Gordon walked forward and fired again, point blank, crushing the Hunter's face and sending it tumbling limply back, heels over head.

"Killed it! We killed it!" Alyx cheered from behind him, her smile showing through her tone. "Gordon, we can take-"

A dull thud interrupted her, and Gordon turned to see another Hunter, having rammed into her and thrown her into the side of the warehouse. It stood over her, snarling with claws extended. Her gun had been knocked from her grip, and was lying at the entrance to the transmitter building. Gordon pulled out the revolver, and tossed it up in the air, snatching and grasping it by the barrel.

"Alyx!" he called out, tossing it as he would a flat stone across water. The Hunter turned curiously as the gun sailed through the air past its very eyes, following it until it landed in Alyx's waiting grasp.

She brought the weapon to bear and fired, putting a bullet through the Hunter's top eye. Wailing with a pitch so high it made Gordon's ears hurt, the Hunter stumbled back, grey blood practically spewing forth. Determination knotting her features, Alyx got to her feet and took aim again, firing the last bullet at the Hunter's lower eye. The shot silenced the Hunter, the creature abruptly toppling to the ground and lying still.

The encampment was quiet again. A cold wind blew through, though Gordon assumed that wasn't why Alyx was shaking. He was about to walk over when she blinked, straightened her back, and marched over to him, handing the revolver back.

"Thanks," she said tersely.

He slowly took it, studying her. "You okay?"

"Yeah, fine, I…" Her shoulders slackening, she let out a breath, finally managing a tired smile. "I just think I needed that."

"Glad I could help."

She grinned, and hooked a thumb towards the transmitter building. "We should get our warning out and then keep moving. That was probably a scouting party."

Following her in, Gordon frowned as he scooped up her pistol from beside the doorway. "_That _was a scouting party?"

"No kidding," Alyx laughed, taking the pistol. "Combine don't do anything small, do they?"

While she busied herself at the monitor, Gordon moved to the window that looked out at the car. He could see the portal twisting and churning in the distance.

"Here it is, okay…" Alyx muttered to herself. "The signal's really weak."

The monitor made an affirmative clicking noise, and static filled the screen, bathing Alyx in white light.

She took a breath, leaning forward on the table and fiddling with a dial. "Well, let's give it a try… White Forest, come in. White Forest, do you read?" After giving it a moment to adjust some more controls, she tried again. "White Forest, _do you read_?"

A loud voice boomed out of the speakers, making both Alyx and Gordon jump.

"_This is White Forest, identify yourself."_

The static cut away to reveal the same control room Eli and the others had been gathered in earlier, though it was now occupied by a rebel with stubble and eyes that were maybe a little too intense. Gordon recognised the figure behind him, even though his back was to them. Dr Magnusson, shoulders hunched and working on something that was probably mind-bendingly complicated and important.

A little taken aback, Alyx took a moment before speaking. "This is-"

"_Alyx?" _Magnusson boomed, his head tilting up like a dog who had heard the word 'walkies'.He whirled on the spot, waving the rebel away and leaning into the screen, his face filling the monitor. It wasn't a pleasant sight. "_Alyx Vance? Where are you? I expected you hours ago."_

"We…" she glanced at Gordon. "…had a bit of a set-back."

Magnusson's glare intensified as he scrutinized them both. _"Don't you understand the gravity of the situation? The survival of Earth depends on the data you carry!"_

"We _know_!" Gordon and Alyx groaned simultaneously.

Alyx shook her head, and addressed Magnusson directly. "But the Combine, they're heading your way!"

Static flickered over Magnusson's image, and he turned his ear towards them. His voice cut out as he practically scolded them over the airwaves. _"What? What's that, what? You're heading our way? Well I should hope so!"_

"No, not us, the Combine!" Alyx said desperately. "You have to get ready!"

"_What?"_ The monitor was more static than Magnusson now, chipping away at his voice until it was gone._ "Y-'re brea- up, Alyx! What? Wh-"_

The static was abruptly replaced by the image of a Combine Advisor, bathed in green light and staring out at both of them. Alyx slammed a hand on the power button, and the monitor deactivated.

"Crap," she muttered. "I wonder if he got any of that." Sighing, she looked back to Gordon. "Let's keep going. See if we can pick up the road somewhere ahead."

Gordon managed to get the car started pretty smoothly this time, with no stalling or awkward jerkiness at all. He felt quite proud of himself as the car roared through the gate on the other side of the encampment and out onto the rough forest terrain. Dirt and grit kicked out from beneath the thick tyres as the car bounced along the uneven ground, and Alyx had to visibly grab on for most of the journey. There were a few close calls with some unexpected trees that seemed to appear out of nowhere from behind the canyon walls, but the path was largely clear of obstacles.

After a sudden, short drop that made Alyx audibly squeak and caused such a loud metallic crash from beneath the car that Gordon was worried he had broken it, they reached a cliff-side path overlooking a slew of railway lines. Old trailers and shipping containers had been left to rust on the tracks.

"Hey, I know that peak!" Alyx said excitedly, having to shout to be heard over the exposed engine. "You can see it from White Forest! We're heading the right way."

He glanced from the steeply downward sloping path to glance over to the right, and saw the peak on the horizon that Alyx was referring to. Returning his gaze back to the sort-of road, he saw that the path was taking them down and then to the right in a u-turn, probably to the railway lines. As they approached the bottom of the slope, however, the sight of uprooted trees and billowing smoke on the left made Gordon slow down.

He brought the car to a slow crawl, eventually stopping beside the still gleaming white object.

"It's one of those Advisor pods," Alyx said, her voice quiet and a little awestruck. "Back in the Citadel, those things we saw."

"Crash landing," he added, hesitantly peering out from the side of the car. A thick, muddy trail had been left behind the long, slug like pod, the ground having been shoved along by the crash until it had gathered at the front, stopping its rapid descent. "Looks empty."

Suppressing a shudder, Gordon moved along, turning the car around and heading for the railway. They had to drive between a large barn on the left, and an old house on the right, white paint peeling from the latter. An ominous hole in the roof of the barn didn't fill Gordon with great confidence. Eyes on the horizon, he noticed that the gate leading out onto the railway lines was closed. He stopped the car, and switched off the ignition.

"We'll need to find the controls for the gate," he muttered, frustrated and feeling more than a little tense about the missing Advisor. One of those things had nearly fried their brains from the inside out. Spending any more time around them was not a concept he relished.

Gordon was just slipping the strap from the Gravity Gun over his shoulders again when his head felt like it was shook from the inside. His vision narrowed like a telescope for a brief moment, blackness encroaching in from all sides. Then it was gone, though everything seemed much paler, almost black and white. Blinking a couple of times, colour returned, and he looked back to Alyx over the car.

The troubled frown told him he wasn't the only one who felt it. "Uh, what…" Her eyes darted from side to side, her head fixed. "…what was that?"

Taking a breath, Gordon nodded to cloud of smoke in the distance, then turned to go into the barn. "Three guesses…"

The front doors were locked, but a corridor ran around the right-hand side of the barn and presumably led inside. Gordon reached the corner, and was only distracted by two surprisingly fresh pumpkins on the floor for a moment. Shaking the thought away, he peered around the wall and down the corridor. All clear, though he could make out two bodies at the far end.

Another jolt went through his brain, and Gordon ducked his head. He heard Alyx groan from behind him, and glanced back at her almost black and white form. Pistol drawn in one hand, she was rubbing her eyes with the other. She blinked them widely before nodding for him to proceed, the colour of her skin gradually returning to his vision.

As they got closer to the locked door at the end of the corridor, Gordon could see that the two bodies were resistance members. There was a sizeable hole in the floorboards beside them, leading to dark, sandy ground below.

"Looks like we weren't the first to find this place…" Alyx muttered, kneeling down to check on the rebels.

There were no obvious wounds, but Alyx's shake of the head after checking their pulses confirmed their absolute deadness.

Gordon didn't bother to suppress the shudder this time. "Oh, this isn't creepy at all…" he murmured, noting the Combine retinal lock that had been clamped to the wooden door.

After a deep breath, Alyx pushed down on her knees as she stood up. With a tight, resigned smile, she just said, "Ladies first," before hopping down through the hole in the floorboards.

Asking himself whether he actually saw Alyx just do that, Gordon knelt by hole, calling inside. "Alyx, I don't think-"

But she was already gone. With a frustrated sigh, Gordon slipped down. He had to crouch down to move inside the sandy tunnel. They were beneath a wooden platform, stairs on their left descending from above their heads and into the main area of the barn. Gordon followed Alyx out into the open. Just before he emerged, his vision blurred and his head once again shook from the inside out. He dizzily clambered to his feet beside Alyx. They were both silent for a moment while they shook off the effects.

"I think we found our Advisor," she said quietly, her eyes on a metal shape hanging from the top left hand corner of the room. It was so big it almost touched the floor. A layered metallic shell was wrapped down the front of whatever it was - life support, maybe - protecting the Advisor inside. Thick cables hung from both sides of the dark metal casing, leading to the left-hand wall, which was largely cool Combine metal.

A dead resistance member lay slumped forward on a large Combine control panel in the middle of the wall beside them, her fingers still poised on the buttons. Instead of a monitor in the centre, however, a dark metal pillar had been erected.

"The Vort said we should kill them before they hatch," Alyx said over her shoulder, her eyes looked on the mesmerising device.

His eyes also locked on the metal casing, Gordon tilted his head over. "Victory said."

Rolling her eyes, Alyx fixed him with a stare. "Okay, Victory said." She scanned the room before locking onto the console. "Ah, life support. What do you say, Gordon?" she said, moving over to it. "Shall we pull the plug?"

"Uh…" Gordon tore his eyes away from the Advisor pod, moving to her side as she gently grabbed onto the dead rebel. "I'm not sure we should…"

"Sorry about this…" Alyx said quietly, pulling the body back and awkwardly letting her slump to the floor. She started tapping away on the controls instantly, talking to herself more than him while she worked. "Maybe I can get this open… there we go."

With a low mechanical drone, the metal pillar slowly disappeared down into the console, revealing the power orb hovering inside a cylindrical force field. Alyx backed away, eyes on Gordon, and gestured towards the orb.

"Over to you, Gordon."

Uncertainly and extremely slowly, Gordon brought the Gravity Gun around to bear, pointed towards the hovering sphere of energy. His finger tapped against the trigger nervously, and he looked over at the Advisor pod. There wasn't a choice, really. If they left it here, it could go unnoticed by the Vortigaunts and unleash who knew how much hell on what remained of the human population. Gordon's wouldn't be responsible for anyone else dying. Not if he could help it.

Steeling himself, Gordon returned his attention to the orb. He aimed, and fired a bolt of golden energy at the orb, propelling it out of the force field and into the wall behind. The console beeped frantically as the sphere bounced around above their heads, the combined noises making Gordon wince.

Thin wisps of dark green light rushed around them noiselessly, fading out of existence every time Gordon tried to look at them. With an abruptness that shocked him, Gordon was suddenly jerked up into the air, though only by a few feet. Once there, he remained, floating weightlessly. The same had happened to Alyx, and she looked at her loose arms wondrously. A barrel from the other side of the room had also been jerked into the air, along with the dead resistance member. The orb exploded overhead, and seemed to be the signal for the now sparking Advisor pod.

With a sound like metal grinding on metal, the segmented shell at the front of the pod slid up agonisingly slowly, piece by piece. Inside, the maggot-shaped Advisor peered out. A small black device with two blue lights attached to the side of its… head seemed to be its eyes, though it looked more like a camera, particularly in the way it swivelled about. The white exposed dome that made up the head had a small black harness above a small hole just below the centre. What looked like reigns dangled from it, though Gordon doubted anyone rode them. The rest of the creature was encased in a grey sack, though it looked more like it had been forced in from the way it was visibly stretching. It reminded Gordon of a caterpillar.

A thick wad of cables connected up to a plug halfway down the underside of the beast, though some were disconnecting, hanging loose and sparking. Smoke billowed from the console, obscuring Gordon's view of the Advisor for just a moment.

He, Alyx, the barrel and the rebel were slowly lifted into the air for inspection. Then, with a familiar and painful red flash behind his eyes, Gordon was suddenly flung across to the right side of the barn, colliding with the wall with such force his head snapped back and cracked against it. The HEV suit beeped and did its work while Gordon searched for Alyx. She was just beside him on the left, pressed against a pillar by the invisible hands that held them.

Gordon tried to move, and found that he couldn't. Alyx was having similar difficulty, her head stuck at an awkward sideways angle. What looked like heat waves shimmered from their bodies, though Gordon couldn't feel any kind of heat. If anything, the ethereal grip made him feel colder.

Eyes tilted down, the Advisor summoned the barrel closer to its face. After a quick inspection, a fleshy tentacle emerged from the hole on the front of the creature, slick and gleaming under the sunlight trickling in from above. It spiralled out towards the barrel, the tip of the fleshy protuberance poking against it several times before recoiling in disgust. With a low groan that sounded like a baby's whine coming from the Advisor, the barrel suddenly crumpled in on itself, as though a giant hand had squeezed it.

Without a further glance, the Advisor tossed the barrel away, shooting it down into the corner of the barn. It then focused its attention on the dead rebel. Gordon could only watch in muted horror as the body hovered up to the creature. Alyx, however, was still struggling against her invisible bonds, grunting in frustration with each tug of her shoulders.

The Advisor's tentacle slid out again, this time prodding at the rebel's exposed neck, her head lolling back serenely. Once again frustrated, the creature turned the body on the spot, and her head drooped forward. The tentacle stroked the back of her neck for a few moments before rearing back slowly. It dove forward, puncturing the neck and spilling rivers of still fresh blood from the back of the rebel's head.

"Oh my God!" Alyx cried, her struggle frozen for the moment.

Gordon felt ill in a way he hadn't since the first days after the resonance cascade, and tried to turn his head away. Finding it locked in place, he could only watch as the Advisor finished its' feast, withdrawing the tentacle. It gave the eviscerated body only the most casual of looks before twisting the torso around and back with a sickening crunch, like someone wringing a wet rag to squeeze the moisture out. Blood dripped to the floor, splashing onto the pool that had gathered there. The body flew across the barn, slamming into the bottom of the stairs leading out of the room.

An explosion suddenly burst out from the containment pod, hitting the Advisor in the side. It reeled for only a moment, writhing and screeching more out of discomfort than genuine pain. Slowly, it rotated its gaze around before finally settling on him.

Gordon suddenly felt a _lot _colder. He suddenly jerked forward, away from the wall and inexorably towards the Advisor.

"Gordon!"

He tried to turn and face her, but he was hopelessly stuck in place, arms jammed down at his sides like a toy soldier. The Advisor's breath brushed against his face, foul and hot. Trying to keep his breathing under control, he failed miserably when he saw the pink, fleshy tentacle emerge, spiralling slowly towards him. Gordon closed his eyes. So this was it. This was how the One Free Man was going to die. Eaten by an inter-dimensional maggot. His only real regret was Alyx. He really should have told her-

A sudden explosion and flash of burning pain made Gordon open his eyes. The same compartment of the pod had exploded again, this time blowing loose a power cable which now jolted the Advisor almost continually. Snarling and screeching, it tossed Gordon down into the ground. The pressure on his chest increased as the creature flew up into the air, writhing around wildly, and Gordon found it hard to breathe.

The wooden support beams for the ceiling creaked and snapped, metal sheets tearing and falling down before warping in mid-air, swirling around and forming an angry vortex around the Advisor. It glared down at him through the maelstrom, and for a few worrying moments, Gordon thought it would come for him again. Then, turning up to the now gaping hole in the roof, it shot up into the sky, trailing wood and metal behind it as it soared out of sight.

Chunks of wood and metal left behind tumbled to the floor, and Alyx along with them. Gordon gasped for breath when the pressure suddenly disappeared from his chest. Coughing, he rolled onto his side. Alyx was on her feet already, leaning back against the pillar and staring up at the hole in the ceiling.

"Oh my God…" She quickly blinked herself out of it, rushing over and kneeling down beside him. He felt a gentle hand on his back, tilting him up into a sitting position.

"You okay?"

He nodded wordlessly, still coughing.

"Okay, just breathe, all right?" she soothed. "Breathe."

Gordon did so, taking deep breaths through his nose and out his mouth. "You?"

"Yeah, fine, just…" She sighed, her breath a little shaky. "…thank God you're all right."

Looking up, his gaze locked onto hers. "…yeah. Yeah, you too."

The moment quickly became awkward, and Alyx quickly looked up to the clear sky above. "That thing was hurt, did you see it?" She blew out a breath, shaking her head. "I can only imagine what it would have done if-"

An echoing, automated voice came through from outside. The Combine's cheerleader, addressing autonomous units and talking about sectors and expunging.

"Uh-oh," Alyx said, jumping to her feet. "Sounds like it called its friends."

Sighing, Gordon dropped his head, slowly and painfully hefting himself to his feet. A croaky, static-filled voice made him whirl on the spot, muffled by the wooden door.

"Soldiers," Alyx gasped, slipping out her pistol.

The Combine lock on the door began to beep, the red retinal scanner flashing ominously. While Alyx moved behind the pillar to take cover, Gordon moved to the stairs, slipping underneath and crawling for the hole in the floorboards of the corridor outside. Gripping the crowbar tightly, and positioning himself underneath the hole, he stood up suddenly, the floor ending at his waistline.

Two soldiers on the other side of the door looked a little surprised to see the torso of Gordon Freeman poking up out of the ground; he imagined he must have resembled a mole or a rabbit.

"Hi," he said with a cheeriness that came out of nowhere.

Swinging the crowbar, he thwacked it into the shins of the soldier stood in front. He fell awkwardly onto his front, and Gordon followed it up with a vicious hammer to the back of the head. The soldier behind brought up his pulse rifle, and Gordon promptly ducked back down in time for the lock on the door to explode, blanketing the corridor in smoke. Distracted by Gordon's sudden appearance, the explosion caught the soldier off-guard, leaving him no time to avoid Alyx's gunfire.

Gordon popped back up again and pushed himself up onto ground floor in time to meet Alyx coming in through the doorway.

"Nice shot," Gordon grunted, getting to his feet.

Alyx gave him a quick nod before locking her eyes down the corridor. "We gotta get outta here. Let's get to the car."

She led the way, picking up two grenades from one of the fallen soldiers as she went. Gordon picked up two more grenades along with a pulse rifle tucked under his arm before he followed around the corner. A soldier appeared at the far end of the corridor, the orange eyes denoting the shotgun he held in his hands. Gordon pulled the pin of the grenade and rolled it down the corridor like a bowling ball. The soldier skid to a halt and started running in the opposite direction. The explosion burst out through the wooden corridor walls.

Gordon and Alyx started running through the smoke and beams of sunlight that filtered down through the cloud. After sticking the ring of the grenade between his teeth, he dove forward as they approached the corner, prompting a surprised 'whoa' from Alyx. He skid along the ground, pulse rifle aimed up at the shotgun soldier waiting for them around the corner.

He fired a volley of flashing bullets up through the soldier, piercing his body armour and shattering the lenses of his helmet before he dropped like a stone. Gordon got to his feet as Alyx arrived, looking down at the soldier at his feet.

"Nice shot."

Shrugging, he delicately took the grenade from his mouth, making a face at the tangy taste it left there. "Car?"

She smirked. "Car."

They moved together to the exit of the wooden corridor that led out to the clearing between the barn and the house. Peering around, Gordon could see soldiers gathered in the house, waiting patiently at the windows while two more sprinted towards the barn. He could see the car waiting for them. An armoured Combine van sat on the left, parked just beyond the house. Gordon could only just see that the gate to the railway tracks had been opened, probably to let the soldiers through. Good. One problem solved.

He and Alyx locked eyes and counted to three. They rushed out into the open, splitting off; her for the armoured van and him for the car. Gordon blasted the two soldiers, felling them in their tracks. Bullets puffed against the ground as he and Alyx continued running in opposite directions. Over his shoulder, Gordon saw Alyx tossing one of the grenades into the ground floor of the house before diving behind the armoured van for cover.

Reaching the car as the grenade exploded, Gordon whipped the Gravity Gun strap from his shoulders and wrapped it around the headrest before bouncing into the chair. Throwing the pulse rifle in the passenger seat, he pressed the ignition and prepared the car in a blur of motion, the back wheels kicking up a cloud of dust as it roared forward. Two soldiers on the second floor of the house took pot-shots at him as Alyx sent the second grenade sailing through the air and into a window beside the soldiers. While they dealt with that little obstacle, Gordon pulled up beside the van.

Grinning, she slipped inside, picking up the pulse rifle. "For me?"

Gordon shrugged. "Saw it, thought of you."

"Just what I wanted."

He revved up the car as the grenade in the second floor of the house exploded, and they raced back out into the open, heading for the gate leading to the tracks. A rapid thumping noise from overhead made Gordon's already pounding headache worse. Light flickered through the shadow that loomed over them, and Gordon looked up to see a sleek, black Combine helicopter hovering overhead as they approached the gate.

"Gordon!" Alyx cried, pointing to the Hunter that had emerged from the train tunnel on the right.

It took up a position in the middle of the open gateway, and Gordon tightened his grip on the wheel.

"Get off the road," he growled, and slammed a hand on the turbo button. The Hunter snarled and lowered its head as though it were about to charge. With a series of bumps that jerked them about in their seats, the car ploughed over the wailing beast, leaving it behind as Gordon tugged the car to the left.

"That… was pretty cool, Gordon," Alyx said, smiling and nodding appreciatively.

He shrugged. "I know."

The helicopter's gun charged up above them, and a thick spray of highly powered bullets rained down on them. Gordon swerved to avoid them, taking them bouncing off the tracks and onto the grassy verge that ran alongside. The car skidded in the slick mud for a moment before regaining traction and heading for a pair of tunnels in the distance.

Easily moving just ahead of him in the car, the helicopter dropped something that landed directly in their path. A mine, like the ones that had been put in his way when he had been travelling along the canals on that jalopy of an airboat. The red light on the face of the ball-shaped explosive flashed angrily, and Gordon easily steered around it. It exploded harmlessly behind them, only to be replaced by two more further down their path. Gordon pulled off a jagged zigzag around them, the close explosions rocking the car only a little.

Alyx grunted and grabbed onto the metal bar above her head. He could see the smirk on her face out of the corner of his eye as she studied him.

"You're enjoying this way too much."

With a quick swerve once the trail of train carriages ended, they mounted the railway track again.

Gordon glanced over at Alyx and smiled innocently. "I don't know what you mean."

He gunned it, smashing through a stack of wooden crates blocking the tunnel entrance and plunged them into the darkness. The light at the far end grew as the car thundered through the tunnel, the engine's roar blasting around them. Gordon had to squint as they emerged into the daylight, his eyes adjusting quickly to the sudden brightness. They seemed to have lost the helicopter, though Gordon could hear it behind them, somewhere in the distance.

His attention was focused straight ahead for the moment, however, swerving around chunks of debris and crashed train carriages. The tight space between the debris and the tall white walls on either side of the tracks left Gordon wincing a couple of times, and he definitely heard Alyx hiss sympathetically now and again. Up ahead, a train carriage had been crushed side-on down the railway, the middle having collapsed in on itself, turning into a makeshift metal ramp.

Gordon slammed down the turbo.

"Here we go!" Alyx cried, sounding incredibly excited.

The car hit the sloping, warped metal, and it jerked beneath them, abruptly bouncing upwards before sailing through the air. Alyx whooped as they arched through the air, the flight lasting only a few breathless seconds before they came crashing down again. They bounced around in their seats, and Alyx laughed infectiously, provoking a helpless wide smile from Gordon.

"Awesome!"

The tunnels ahead had collapsed in on themselves, though Gordon could see that the stone separation on his right ended just before the tunnels. It gave him a gap to drive through and he proceeded along the train tracks on the other side. A bridge loomed over them just before they reached the ramp, and Gordon's head jerked back in alarm when a fast zombie dropped down onto the front of the car.

"Whoa!" Alyx shouted, bringing the pulse rifle to bear at the screeching zombie as it tried to clamber through the front and onto them. She gave it a solid kick to the headcrab and followed it up with a quick, thudding burst from the pulse rifle, blowing the headcrab from its shoulders. The body tumbled limply from the car, and Gordon tried not to show his panic as he frantically spun the wheel and attempted not to collide with the wall of debris, the speed of the whole thing making his stomach tingle.

After several more bridges and some zombie road-rage, the helicopter found them again, though it didn't bother with any bullets, instead preferring the mines. Gordon did his best to avoid them, but the long trains occupying the tracks made it difficult. Clenching his jaw, Gordon wished for a rocket launcher, or anything explosive he could throw up at the helicopter-

He swerved around another mine, and smiled when realisation struck.

The mine exploded just behind the car, tilting the vehicle onto its front for just a moment before it crashed back down again. Gordon's hands thumped quickly along the wheel as he tried to straighten them out again, only succeeding in time for a shower of bullets to thunder down on a stack of logs strapped to a trailer. The chains broke with a loud metallic _ping_, and the logs spilled out in front of them, shaking the ground through the tyres of the car.

"Whoops!" he shouted incredibly loudly, ignoring Alyx's incredulous smile as he made a sharp right turn to avoid the logs. The back left wheel bounded over one of the logs, though they largely managed to avoid them. Shooting around the back of a row of trailers, Gordon skid the car straight again, taking them towards a train yard in the distance.

Containers were stacked up in front of the train tracks, towering above them and obscuring any view of what was inside. On the right, however, and now directly in front of them, were three thin wooden road barriers, which the car ploughed over easily. Behind them were two red metal gates, wooden planks nailed across them, giving the occupants somewhere to spray-paint a large lambda symbol. Gordon tensed as the car's front bumper collided with the gates, breaking the chain holding them together and sending them swinging loosely as they drove through.

With a metallic springing noise verging on comedic, something in the engine snapped, and the smallest of fires broke out atop it.

"Oh, crap!" Alyx pulled herself up a little to get a better look at the engine, then looked to him with a worried expression. "We may have to ditch the car!"

His gaze whipped over to her. "W- but… the car…"

He sighed, realising there wasn't anywhere else to drive the car at the moment anyway. A tall tunnel ahead of them had been blocked off by metal containers, and another gate on the left blocked their path into the train yard beyond. Alarms sounded from the building Gordon could only just see on the left, and the helicopter's blades thumped ominously in the distance.

Gordon brought the car to a slow stop and reluctantly clambered out, grabbing the Gravity Gun as he went.

"Hey, over here!"

Whirling on the spot, Gordon spotted a rebel waving them over through the doors of a shipping container. With a confirming look at Alyx, the went to meet him.

"This way," the rebel said breathlessly, sweat glistening on his wide forehead. He led them into the container, which had been linked with another tilted up to the right, becoming a makeshift corridor. A metal sheet had been erected above the gap between the two containers, giving them cover from the incoming helicopter. They gathered around the rebel, whose eyes darted between them both.

"Since you brought that chopper in on your tail, you wanna maybe help us take it down?"

Alyx smirked and nodded. "Oh, with pleasure."

Behind the two, Gordon could see up the ramped container, and spotted a mine drop down at the top. It exploded quickly, the cloud of smoke that billowed down engulfing them. The rebel charged up without another word, MP7 tilted up at the sky as he approached the top of the container.

Before they followed, Alyx offered Gordon the pulse rifle. He shook his head, and waved the offer down. She cocked an eyebrow at him, and he patted the Gravity Gun. After a moment of incomprehension, her eyes suddenly lit up, and she smiled, nodding. They moved up the ramp together, joining the rebel at the ledge of the container. It overlooked a concealed crawlspace below, hidden beneath more containers. The rebel hopped down and moved off to the left, and they quickly followed.

It led them out to the corner of the open space of the train yard, which looked more like a loading area now that Gordon could see it properly. A large, open entrance to a warehouse on the left was half obscured by a container swinging slowly from a crane. Behind the warehouse, in the far left corner of the yard, was another building, presumably the main complex.

The helicopter fluttered overhead, blades chopping through the air ominously. There were about half a dozen rebels around the yard, all with MP7s and pulse rifles aimed toward the helicopter as it swirled above their heads. They took cover in the warehouse and beneath the hanging container as it blasted bullets down on them. Gordon hefted the Gravity Gun around, and bided his time in the corner.

Alyx crouched down beside him and watched. "You sure this is going to work?"

Realising the futility of using bullets, the helicopter dropped two mines in the yard, one at the far end and another beside the hanging container.

"Never am," Gordon sighed, before rushing out into the open, Gravity Gun at the ready. He pulled the mine to him, and it continued to beep. It dawned on him that this maybe wasn't the best idea he had ever had. The helicopter loomed above him, the gun taking aim.

Gordon tilted the Gravity Gun upwards and fired, expelling the mine through the air and into the side of the helicopter. The explosion knocked it away, sending it twirling through the air. The rebels in the warehouse whooped and cheered.

"Reeeeturn to sender!" a rebel cried from the warehouse.

Another at the main bunker thrust a fist into the air, grinning ear to ear. "_That's _gonna leave a mark!"

Quickly recovering from the attack, the damaged helicopter turned and came around for another pass. Gordon quickly ran back to cover with Alyx and the rebel that had brought them inside.

"Doc, you're really puttin' on a clinic!" the rebel enthused, giving him a punch in the arm.

Gordon didn't even understand what that meant.

After another shower of bullets that found no victims, the helicopter dropped three more mines. Gordon rushed out into the open again, acutely aware that the pilot of said chopper would probably stop dropping mines soon when he realised what Gordon was doing with them. Yanking one of the explosives up, Gordon moved as quickly through the yard as he could, moving around the other mines and sporadically glancing up at the helicopter as it banked and came in for another shower of bullets.

It was tilted down now, facing him as the gun took aim. Gordon heard the mini-gun charge. He tilted the Gravity Gun up and fired. The mine sailed through the air in a tall arch, before slamming down into the tinted blue glass of the pilot's cabin. With an explosion that made Gordon jerk his head away, the mine blasted through the glass and left the front section of the helicopter a shattered mess, smoke and flame belching out as the airborne vehicle abruptly dropped towards him.

Eyes wide, Gordon ran and leapt for cover beside Alyx and the rebel, skidding along the ground to reach them and coming to a stop with his head beside Alyx's feet. He watched the chopper collide with the ground at an angle, the metal chassis twisting and the blades warping as they continued to chop against the ground. It finally ground to a halt on the far side of the train yard, a hissing, crackling, burning wreck.

A roar of whoops and cheers erupted around him.

Breathless and lying on his side, Gordon looked up at Alyx hopefully. "Good?"

Smiling and shaking her head, she reached over and straightened out his askew glasses. "Good, Gordon."

"Hey! Over here!"

Their heads collectively moving to look at the source of the voice, they saw a rebel on the other side of the yard waving them over. Still in sync, they looked at the rebel beside them questioningly.

"That's Sturgess," he said, looking like he was ready to fall collapse from exhaustion. "He's in charge." That done, he breathlessly collapsed onto his back, eyes closed and an arm across his face.

Gordon looked to Alyx, who shrugged. As they made their way over to Sturgess, Alyx handed his pulse rifle back to him in amiable silence. Two exhausted rebels sat against the wall beside the entrance of the warehouse, one much louder than the other.

"I give the Combine a lot of credit, though! They're tough competitors, a real class act!"

"Shut _up_…"

Sturgess himself reminded Gordon of Sheckley, if a little more enthusiastic. The painful looking scar on his cheek did nothing to dampen the welcoming nature of his grin, and Alyx returned it.

"Boy, are we glad to see you guys."

Puffing out his cheeks in disbelief, Sturgess' eyes travelled from her to Gordon.

"Whoa, that was amazing! The way you threw their mines right back at them?"

A little at a loss for how to respond, Gordon looked back to the flaming wreck behind him, then back to Sturgess. He shrugged.

Sturgess took a deep breath, propping his pulse rifle over his shoulder. "Well, I could sure use a drink!" he almost boasted, only glancing at Alyx before fixing his gaze on Gordon. "Who's with me?"

Gordon imagined he wasn't talking about tea, which was pretty much the only drink he _really _wanted right now. He had never been that much of a drinker, really; hell, it was only when he met Barney that he realised that all beers didn't taste the same.

Sensing his discomfort, Alyx gently cut in. "We need to get back on the road, but our engine's shot to hell. I don't suppose you've got any tools for working on cars?"

Snorting incredulously at her, the rebels' stubbly grin seemed to grow even more. "Tools? We've got a whole _shop_ over here!" He locked his gaze with Gordon's again, nodding towards the main bunker behind them. "Come on, we'll get you set up."

He excitedly whirled on his heel before leading them across the yard. Why was he ignoring Alyx so much? Had she done something to annoy him? This seemed to be their first time meeting, though. And why would he rather talk to him than her? Surely she was the more experienced as far as resistance matters went? What was the difference between Alyx and him? Beside the fact that he was a man and she was a-

Oh.

Alyx rolled her eyes at the back of Sturgess' head. Gordon just shrugged helplessly before they followed along. He scrutinised Sturgess as he kicked the door open a little unnecessarily, taking them through the corridor beyond and to a door in the right-hand corner. Really? They still had sexism? How did that even still exist? The world could end at any minute. That overrode any prejudices, surely.

He sighed. He really did learn something new every day. Though he had learnt about a hundred new things every day since the resonance cascade, really.

* * *

(A/N: Hey everybody, sorry for the delay, work and general life stuff, you know how it is.

Reviews, everybody!

_Next Chapter: Under the Radar_)


	10. Under the Radar

Disclaimer: I don't own _Half-Life._

_**Aftermath**_

_**Chapter Ten: Under the Radar**_

Sturgess elbowed the door open, revealing the workshop beyond. Crouched on the other side of a car in front of them, a rebel worked on the chassis, sparks flying from the blowtorch and the flame reflecting off the metal visor that covered his face. A metal door at the left end of the garage was presumably the exit, though it was closed. Gordon could just see the road ahead through a metal gate beside the larger garage door, however.

A continual thumping noise pounded outside, and Gordon could hear the moan of zombies, muffled by the walls.

"You weren't kidding," Alyx chuckled, casting her eyes around the garage with her fingers slipped into her pockets. She looked back to Gordon, impressed. "We'll be back on the road in no time."

A troubled frown creased Sturgess already fairly creasy face. "Well, that could be a problem. You hear that auto-gun going off out there?"

Gordon nodded in silent understanding. Auto-gun. That would be the thumping noise then. He and Alyx moved over to the gate while Sturgess continued.

"We normally run supplies out to the White Forest base, but a few days ago the Combine cut off access."

Hand on her chin, Alyx peered through thoughtfully. There wasn't enough room for both of them at the gate, so Gordon crouched and knelt in front of her to get a better look. A metal fence ran along the right-hand side of the road, obscuring Gordon's view of what was beyond. He could make out something flashing on the other side, accompanying each metallic thump of whatever the auto-gun was firing. The roof of a distant warehouse was just visible over the top of the fence, and he could make out a turning in the road that would probably lead straight to it. That was, presumably, how they had cut off access.

Alyx 'hmm'ed above him, and Gordon twitched when he felt her fingers scratch the top of his head. He looked up, simultaneously curious and confused. She looked down at him innocently, as if it were a perfectly ordinary way of getting somebody's attention. "What do you think, Gordon? Maybe while I'm getting the car fixed up you can see about clearing up that roadblock."

"Uh-" he stopped himself when his voice jumped like an overactive teenager's. He got to his feet, adjusting his glasses in what he realised was quickly becoming a nervous gesture. "I suppose."

Sturgess' throaty growl interrupted Gordon's contemplations on the thoughts and actions of Alyx Vance. "All the fresh zombies coming out of City 17 have kept them pinned down, but it's just a matter of time until the troops start pushing this way." Pulse rifle still resting on his shoulder, the ageing rebel looked him up and down, almost disparagingly. "If you think you're up to it… we'll let you out there."

"Oh, he's always up for it," Alyx cut in entirely too quickly. Seeing the surprised eyebrows that shot up on Gordon's face, she looked back to him with a sweet smile. "Right, Gordon?"

He opened his mouth, narrowed eyes looking from the incomprehensible expressions on both Alyx's and Sturgess' faces. Well, incomprehensible to _him_, anyway. Barney or Eli would probably be able to catch what was going on straight away. As it was, Gordon Freeman, 27 year old with a PhD in theoretical physics, just knew that something odd and unspoken was happening between Alyx and their new rebel friend, and for some reason, _he _was caught in the middle of it.

Finally, his eyes resting on Alyx in a vain attempt to understand the situation, Gordon replied slowly and hesitantly. "…yes…?"

Alyx nodded, satisfied, and looked to Sturgess almost challengingly. "There you go. Gordon'll have it fixed in no time."

"Okay, then." Sturgess fixed his gaze on Gordon, all business again. "We've got a trap door up here where I can let you over to the other side. That way you'll get to see the gun before it sees you."

He led the way up a flight of metal stairs on the right-hand side of the room, taking them to a platform overlooking the garage. Gordon looked unsurely at Alyx, who nodded up the stairs.

"Go get 'em, slugger."

An incredulous frown slowly creased his forehead, his eyes wide as he considered the possibility that Alyx had suddenly gone insane. Blinking the thought away, he followed Sturgess up the stairs in the hope that maybe Alyx would be normal again when he returned.

Sturgess took him through a door at the end of the small platform, facing in the direction of the road. Stepping through, Gordon saw a hole in the ground leading into what looked like an office space below. He stood beside it with Sturgess, looking down and then over at the rebel.

The elder man smiled. "Good luck taking out that auto-gun!" he said, his tone holding a smattering of sarcasm. He slapped Gordon on the back and knocking him forward so he tumbled down through the hole.

He landed in a heap in the office below, and looked back up through the hole in surprise, irritation, and, most of all, sheer confusion. The rebel was already gone, however, and Gordon heard the door above close as he left. Sighing, Gordon slowly got to his feet and stretched his back, relishing the sensation. It was a small room, the green door on his right closed and barricaded up with wooden planks. A window beside it looked to be the way forward, and Gordon slipped out the crowbar, ready to get smashing.

A muffled voice from the garage distracted Gordon, and he recognised it as Sturgess.

"So, uh… is that your boyfriend?"

Gordon's brain became a flat-line as he listened intently for Alyx's response. Suddenly, the window shattered, showering glass over him and across the office. He brought down his protective arms to see a zombine reaching through for him, thrashing its arm about angrily.

"Oh, for-" Gordon irritably brought up the pulse rifle and blasted the headcrab from its shoulders. Several more zombies accompanying it were given the same treatment. Once more in relative silence, Gordon perked up his ears, but heard nothing from the garage by way of conversation.

Damn it. Although, at least that explained Alyx's odd behaviour. Sturgess was interested, Alyx wasn't, and needed to convince the rebel of that fact. By… scratching Gordon's head. And calling him slugger.

This really didn't make sense.

He sighed and clambered through the window and into the clearing beyond. It was an entrance into a field of shipping containers, though the pathway that would have taken anyone forward was now swamped in toxic waste, judging by the furious crackling of the suit's Geiger counter. Straight ahead wasn't his destination, however. Instead, there was an office on the right overlooking the area, though it was one floor up. An old parked pickup truck beneath the office allowed a way forward, however.

Sprinting past the zombies that were emerging from the toxic river, he mounted the trailer section of the pickup truck and quickly clambered up on top of the cab. He smashed through the thin glass with the butt of the pulse rifle, clearing a big enough gap for him to crawl through. It was another abandoned office, a swivelling chair strewn across the floor amid a slew of papers and cardboard boxes. A door ahead of him lead outside, metal steps plunging down into another lake of toxic sludge.

There was an island of solid ground just off to the right, a stack of two containers blocking his view of what he assumed was the road beyond. Gordon vaulted off the stairs, landing at speed and having to roll to compensate. Once again on his feet, Gordon started edging his way towards the corner of the container, peeking his head around.

It was indeed the road he had spied with Alyx. He could see the road leading up to the warehouse just across the road and a little to the left. Thinking it over in his head, Gordon estimated that the repair garage was off to the right, which would give Alyx and Sturgess a view of him when he crossed the road. Four thick beams of light shone out from where Gordon assumed the warehouse was, looking like searchlights. Gordon assumed that being seen by them was not a good idea, and so crouched down as he made his way around the container and onto the road.

Moving forward as fast as he could manage with his back stooped forward, he moved toward a gap in the fence that ran along the road. Glancing to his right, he saw that no-one was watching his progress from the garage. Just as well, he supposed. He usually fell awkwardly through these situations anyway, which was embarrassing enough without an audience.

He had to get down onto his belly as he reached the hole in the fence, crawling into some of the thickest mud he had ever come across. It squelched and sucked against his arms and legs as he crawled, though he could feel solid ground beneath. The cars that were strewn across the clearing in a complex maze led Gordon to the assumption that this was once the parking lot for the warehouse he was heading for.

A zombie abruptly stood up on the other side of a white car he was crawling past, and Gordon rolled onto his back, rifle up in panic. One of the searchlight whizzed over to the zombie, and with a flash of light and a pounding noise that shook through the ground, the zombie blasted clear in half, the torso sailing across the car and over Gordon's head. It hit the muddy ground beside him with a splat, though the mud did nothing to hinder the flames consuming it.

Gordon continued crawling, moving around overturned cars and barrels and even moving througha van to avoid the auto-gun's fire. It took him about ten minutes to navigate his way to the side of the warehouse and out of sight of the auto-gun. It was a wide alleyway, a pickup truck parked on the left-hand side, presumably for loading purposes. Wandering around to the back of the warehouse, he saw a zombine slamming its fists against the back door, as eager as he was to get inside.

He took aim with the pulse rifle, but then hesitated. Smiling, he altered his target and pointed the rifle at the lock on the door. With one shot, he shorted out the Combine lock, and the zombine smashed through, storming inside. Combine radios sprang to life inside, cursing and shouting warnings to the others. Machinegun fire erupted, and he heard the tell-tale beep of a grenade.

The _'SHIT!" _that emerged from inside was so loud it was as if all the soldiers had said it at once. An explosion made the ground shudder a little, and smoke sifted out through the open doorway. Still cautious, Gordon moved to the corner of the doorway and poked his head inside. Three soldiers were dead, the fourth headless and presumably belonging to the zombine, judging by the black charring across its' body.

He slowly moved inside, wary of the open doorway on his immediate right that led into a storage room. A soldier whirled around to meet him from inside the doorway, MP7 at the ready. Gordon charged at him, swinging the butt of the pulse rifle in an uppercut and cracking the breathing apparatus of the soldier's helmet. The blow sent the soldier stumbling back, and Gordon blasted through him with the pulse rifle.

After satisfying himself that the rest of the warehouse was abandoned, Gordon moved over to some machinery on the wall ahead. A collection of cables were strung together and led up to a device pointing out through a slit in the metal wall. Following the cables from the device and to the left, he found what he assumed was a Combine power generator. It was a black metal box, about a head taller than him. Thin black metal slats were layered on top of each other on the top section, preventing a look inside the device. A red button beside them solved that problem, and they slid up helpfully.

Gordon peered down into the machine, not having a clue where to start. Looking around the warehouse, he let out a quiet 'ah' when he spotted a green metal crate of grenades tucked away in a corner. He took one over to the generator, pulled the ring, and delicately dropped it inside before running for the door. The bang of the grenade was muffled slightly by the building. Perking his head up to listen, he found that it had had the desired effect; the auto-gun had stopped firing.

With a quick sigh of satisfaction, Gordon nodded to himself and moved back out to the road that had been previously inaccessible to him. The back of his neck still tingled in anticipation of being shot, however, and he had to look over his shoulder at the warehouse several times to comfort himself that he wasn't going to get shot. He eventually wound up walking backwards down the road, suspicious eyes on the thin slit on the front of the warehouse.

"Hey, Gordon!"

He jumped on the spot, whirling to see Alyx stood on the main road. "Uh, yeah?"

"Car's ready. Come on back and we'll get going!"

Nodding absentmindedly, Gordon cast one last look at the warehouse before lightly jogging back to the garage. When Alyx saw his approach, she moved back to the car and slipped inside. The car was good as new, facing the now open exit of the garage. Sturgess was waiting for him at the side of the car, and nodded his approval at Gordon as he entered the garage.

Gordon's eye was drawn to the collection of ammunition and weapons on a table beside the mechanic who was still working on the car behind theirs. Making his way around, Gordon saw a box of rounds for the revolver, and started loading up.

"Thanks for getting rid of that auto-gun," a voice said, and Gordon looked around before settling on the mechanic.

"Oh, uh… no problem." He continued loading the revolver, and paused, feeling he should say something more. "So, are you staying here, or…"

The mechanic flicked off the blowtorch and turned to face him, though he didn't bring up his protective mask. "Hey, don't worry about us. See this car? We're fixing it up and getting the hell out of here. Drivin' to Hawaii! Beaches, babes and waves." He peered over Gordon's shoulder at Sturgess, and lowered his voice. "Tell you what, if you ever get sick of this rebel crap, you know who to talk to."

Sighing, Gordon clicked the revolver shut. "Bit late now."

Loading done, Gordon stealthily picked up the entire box and moved back around to the car. He handed the pulse rifle and the box of bullets to Alyx, which she pocketed in one of the many tiny satchels on her belt. As he started the car, Alyx smiled, looking over her shoulder at the mechanic and then at Sturgess.

"Thanks again, you guys!"

Sturgess cut off the mechanic, waving his hand modestly. "No need to thank me."

Finding himself getting a little irritated with the rebel, Gordon slammed his foot down, and they launched out onto the road. The path took them around to the right and through a towering corridor of shipping containers. Zombies passed by in the distance, and Alyx brought up the pulse rifle now and again before finally deciding it wasn't worth it. They eventually rejoined an _actual _road, and Gordon gratefully mounted it, skidding left and heading for a tunnel in the mountainside opposite.

He glanced over at Alyx as they approached the tunnel, who was staring forward distractedly.

"You okay?" he asked, one hand on the wheel and the other on the gears.

"Hm?" She smiled. "Oh, yeah. Fine."

"Because…" he stopped himself but then saw that Alyx was now waiting for him to finish. He sighed as they entered the tunnel, and he had to shout to be heard over the roar of the engine reverberating around them. "…you were different. Around Sturgess, I mean."

They emerged from the tunnel, and the road slowly leaned over to the left as Gordon drove them up a fairly easy incline. Alyx still wasn't speaking, and Gordon felt very awkward. Suddenly, more words were spilling from him, though he was mentally willing himself to just _stop_.

"And I wondered if that was because he did anything or said anything that you didn't like or maybe he wasn't being, uh…" his throat dry, he swallowed. "…gentlemanly."

One of the most amused smiles Gordon had ever seen spread across Alyx's face, her eyebrows significantly higher than normal. "'Gentlemanly'?"

"Well… yeah."

After staring at him for a few moments more, Alyx's mouth suddenly became an 'oh' of understanding. She put a hand to her mouth, laughing hysterically.

Very confused by this point, Gordon alternated between glancing at the road and Alyx's shaking form. "What?"

She wordlessly waved her hand around, before finally wiping at her eyes with both hands. "I'm sorry, I just… you thought that Sturgess was…" She laughed again, but got control of herself much quicker this time. "And… with me?"

Eyes wide, Gordon just offered a helpless shrug.

Sighing, Alyx looked up at him like a parent educating a child. "Gordon… Sturgess wasn't interested in _me."_

He frowned. "Really?"

"No."

"But… then why…"

"Gordon. Sturgess isn't interested in anyone _like _me." She nodded cautiously, trying to guide him to some conclusion that still escaped him. "Anyone… like _me_."

The frown still thick on his forehead, Gordon shook his head again before it clicked, and his eyes bulged. He felt his face become horrifically hot. "Oh. You mean-"

"Yeah."

"Not-"

"No."

"So he was-"

"Yup."

"With me?"

"Oh yeah."

Very embarrassed indeed, Gordon scratched at the tight material around his neck. "Ah. Well, that's… honestly never happened before."

"You're cute when you're flustered," she laughed.

And that was _two _things Gordon didn't know how to take, so he just concentrated on the road. He drove them around a right turn that took them past an old gas station on the left and between two houses on either side. The road moved down a hill before doing U-turn off to the right, taking them around another horseshoe shaped turning around a courtyard in front of what looked like a small hotel.

Alyx tapped his arm and pointed to the building. "Pull over, Gordon."

He did so a couple of feet before the entrance of the building, which was in an outdoor terrace just beside the road. Alyx hopped out of the car speedily, striding around the back of the car and into the building. Gordon switched off the car and stepped out. Eyes scanning the area, he stretched over the drivers seat to collect the pulse rifle and the Gravity Gun. No point in getting careless.

Walking back up the road to see around the front of the building, he saw a sign swinging from a metal post that read 'White Forest Inn'. He followed Alyx inside into the house, coming into a hallway. He heard noises coming from the floor above, and walked up a stairway on his right. The old wood creaked under his boots, vaguely eerie in the silence. The landing at the top went back to the left, giving Gordon a view of the hallway below as he walked along, hand sliding along the guardrail.

"Seems deserted," Alyx called out from ahead, her voice ringing slightly as it reverberated down the hallway to him.

Moving through a doorway at the end of the balcony, Gordon came out into a large, bare room, windows overlooking the courtyard. He could see pale rectangles of wooden flooring where furniture had once been. A hallway off to the left went between a series of doors, each one of which Alyx was checking a little too quickly. She opened a door on the left and gasped.

"Oh, thank God." She ducked her head back around the door to address him. "Gordon, could you wait downstairs?"

Without even waiting for the reply, she slammed the door. After a few moments of speechlessness, Gordon shrugged and walked past, heading towards a stairway at the end of the hallway. It moved down to the left, taking him to a living room. A fireplace sat in the centre of the wall, windows on either side of the stone chimney looking out to the empty courtyard. A corridor on the left led back to the entrance of the building, where Gordon could see the car patiently waiting for them. He slowly walked back to it, and stopped at a framed picture on the wall of the hallway.

It was a family. Mother, father and son, smiling a little stiffly for the portrait. It was black and white, reminding Gordon of the photo Eli had shown him of himself with Azian and Alyx. He heard Alyx's footsteps trudging down the stairs, and she came to join him beside the photo.

"What'd you find?" Gordon asked, eyes still on the portrait.

"Uh…" Alyx cleared her throat, and mumbled, "bathroom."

Oh. Well. _That _didn't make him feel any more awkward than he already did. To be honest, it was something that hadn't really occurred to him over the past few days. The HEV suit made such concerns pretty obsolete. While he didn't know the specifics (and had stopped Dr Kleiner with a loud 'NO' when he had tried to explain it back at Black Mesa), he knew that the nano-machines used by the HEV suit did something to the digestive tract that turned it into more of a… recycling tract.

Alyx pointed a thumb upstairs. "Um, do you need to-"

"Oh, uh, no. The suit, it, uh…" Gordon decided that there were some things Alyx Vance just _never _needed to know. "No, I don't."

They were both silent for a moment, and Alyx's gaze drifted over to the family portrait.

"This place must have been nice, once," she said quietly. "I wonder how long it's been since anyone stayed here."

He shrugged. "They got the furniture out, so… they had plenty of warning, I suppose."

"Yeah…" she looked up and down the hallway. "I've always wondered what it would be like."

Gordon gave her a curious look. "What? Furniture?"

"No," she scolded with a laugh. "This," she said simply, waving a finger about in the air. "Y'know, a normal house with a… normal family. I've always been moving between base camps and bunkers and…" She wrapped her arms around herself, as if she were cold. "…other places I'd rather not talk about. And as for family… well, the closest thing I've had to a mom is Dr Kleiner."

The very statement was so ludicrous he couldn't even bring himself to laugh, only managing a huge cocked eyebrow.

She laughed, though it was incredibly weak. The vague smile vanished as she looked again at the family portrait, and Gordon was all too aware of which part she was staring at. "I always wonder if she was like me…"

"Your mother frightened me," he blurted out very quickly and loudly. Alyx needed to hear something, and it was the only thing he could think of to do with her mother.

Her face caught in that terrifying gap between crying and laughing, Alyx fixed her eyes on him. "What?"

"She, uh… she was very, uh… forceful."

"She was?"

He nodded quickly, staring at the portrait and only occasionally glancing at her. "Well, Eli was my supervisor, and she was his wife, and then she would start giving me advice about, uh, things, and then she'd organise these… other things for me, and they were always awkward and then she'd ask about what happened, and it would never be good, and-"

"Wait, what things?"

Pausing a moment, Gordon hung his head, running his tongue around his mouth as he calculated the 'embarrassment to making Alyx feel better' ratio.

It didn't take long to work out.

"Dating. She would… organise blind dates."

She laughed. And laughed. And laughed. Gordon just nodded, eyes closed, letting her get in any insults she wanted. At least she didn't find out about the ponytail.

"That's…" she laughed yet more. "That's… amazing." The laugh faded away into a sigh. "Hey, uh… thanks."

Opening his eyes, he looked over at her questioningly. "That's it?"

"Yeah," she said, smiling fondly at him. "Really, Gordon. Thanks. Dad always wears these rose-tinted glasses with my mom, so it's… nice to hear about her from someone else who knew her."

He shrugged. "Any opportunity to embarrass myself and make you feel better…"

Grinning, she put a hand on his arm. "If I can ever return the favour, just ask."

After one last lingering look at the portrait, Alyx moved past him and down the corridor, heading for the car. He followed, and she sat in silence while he put the Gravity Gun on the back of his seat and slipped inside. Gordon started the car, and stared forward, hands on the wheel.

"I'm still 27."

Looking a little concerned for his sanity, Alyx looked over at him. "What?"

"I mean-" he stopped to cough, forcing himself to stare into her intimidating blank eyes. "At Black Mesa, there was a slow teleport, like at Nova Prospekt but more powerful, and you know, I thought it'd be good to know… I mean, that I'm not forty, or… um… I don't know, uh…" He sighed, scratching the side of his head irritably. "Forget I said anything."

He put his hand on the gear-stick and struggled to shift it for the first time since getting in the car. He slammed it into first out of frustration, and sent the car roaring forward. A force field abruptly appeared in front of them, generated by two innocuous black posts on the corners of the White Forest Inn and the house opposite. The bumper crashed headlong into the force field, bouncing upwards and stalling the car. They both lurched forward in their seats, slamming their hands down on the dashboard to stop themselves.

They looked back down the road, attracted by the alarm sounding around them.

"It's a trap!" she cried.

Gordon slammed the car into reverse and got halfway up the road only to screech to a halt when four soldiers emerged from the other side of the courtyard, followed by a single Elite and a galloping Hunter.

Alyx was already running around the car, and whirled around to toss him the pulse rifle. "Gordon, come on, get inside!"

He leapt to his feet and grabbed the rifle, looking back to car and reluctant to leave it. A bullet thudded against the wall behind him, and Gordon ducked down, blasting two of the incoming soldiers through the neck and heads. The rest closely followed behind, and Gordon charged into the building.

Alyx had taken refuge at the far end of the hallway, past the family portrait. Gordon charged up the stairs immediately on his right, rushing up and around to behind the landing. He realised with a frustrated groan that he had left the Gravity Gun in the car.

The other two soldiers charged in, rifles aimed up at him. Alyx caught them by surprise, taking out one of the soldiers with deadly accuracy. His companion backed up, alarmed. Gordon lined himself up with the retreating soldier and vaulted over the guardrail, landing in a crouch before him and blasting through him.

A previously hidden Elite swung around from the corner of the entrance, a white armoured elbow hitting him in the throat. Gordon stumbled back, clutching at his neck as the Elite swung his leg around, kicking his rifle away. The Elite brought his rifle up, only for gunfire from Alyx to hit him in the knee. Letting out only the slightest of grunts to indicate his pain, the Elite's balance faltered for just a moment. Gordon grabbed onto the soldier's rifle, only for the Elite to recover faster than expected and push him back into the wall behind him. Struggling for the rifle, Gordon saw one of the Hunters take up a position at the entrance, waiting patiently for its chance to kill him.

Alyx appeared behind the Elite, and positioned herself between the Hunter and their struggling forms. She fired on the Hunter, hitting it just beside the eyes. Snarling at the sudden pain, it lowered its head, preparing to charge. Gordon held steadfast to the rifle and the Elite, who had, predictably, remained completely focused on him. The Hunter thundered towards them with head down. Alyx whirled on the spot, grabbing Gordon by the thick collar of the HEV suit and pulling him back. Gordon abruptly released the rifle and let himself fall with her. The Elite gave him a surprised look that only lasted a moment before the Hunter crushed him into the wall.

The pulse rifle tumbled through the air, and Alyx dove for it, sliding along the wooden floor and grabbing onto it before it had even settled on the ground. The Hunter struggled as it pulled itself from the dent it had made in the crumbling wall. Whirling around with pulse rifle drawn at the emerging Hunter, Alyx pressed the secondary fire button. The ball of energy shot out just as the Hunter freed itself, and the creature wailed in agony as it was consumed by burning white energy.

Gordon looked at the spot the Hunter had occupied before his surprised gaze travelled down to Alyx. Looking equally shocked at how quickly everything had just happened, Alyx eventually managed to jump to her feet.

"Listen," she said, putting up a hand with her head tipped up to the air. Gordon could just barely hear the automated female Combine voice. "They're talking about us. They're still after the data packet," she said breathlessly. "Let's get moving before they send more."

Gordon leapt to his feet. They ran to the car together, Gordon practically bouncing into the seat while Alyx moved to one of the black posts emitting the force field, hacking device in hand. Sparks flew from the device and the black posts while Gordon started the car and shifted it into gear. He saw the blue wall flicker for a moment before disappearing altogether, and Alyx leapt up onto the front of the car, sliding in through the front and twisting around to sit in the seat.

"Let's hope there's no more Combine between here and White Forest," she said, hands gripping the pulse rifle on her lap.

Gordon revved the engine, and they were off again, hurtling down the hill in front of them. The road swerved back and forth as it moved down the hill, though a metal ramp had been left beside the first U-turn, managing to overlook the entire hill. Shrugging, Gordon lined up the car with the ramp as they reached the turning and punched the turbo.

"Look out below!" Alyx cried, her smile wide. The car mounted the ramp and shot into the air. "WOO-HOO!"

They dove down at a steeper angle than Gordon would have liked, and he leant back in his chair, wincing as he prepared for the impact. He noticed about a dozen or so wooden crates had been left on the road below, and the front bumper collided with those first, managing to tilt the car back enough that they weren't just crushed vertically into the ground. The back of the car bounced wildly as the wheels slammed against the ground, and both Gordon and Alyx were rocked back and forth madly before they settled.

As Gordon straightened out the car and took them around one last bend going around to the left, he noticed Alyx still laughing like she had just been on one of the greatest rollercoasters of her life. As they headed down a long road through a towering canyon, Gordon couldn't help but smile too.

The joyous mood faded when the low hum of a dropship hovered overhead, their collective gazes travelling up as a shadow loomed over them. A dormant Strider hung from the bottom of the dropship, legs held together as though tied. It didn't seem to be heading for them, however, instead going straight over them and towards something over the right wall, out of their sight. It was promptly greeted by the sound of soaring rockets. Explosions blasted out from over the cliff on their right, followed by an almighty metallic crash that continued to echo for a minute or so.

They slowly turned their heads to look at each other, each of them as worried as the other.

Alyx took an unsure breath. "That… didn't sound good."

Still troubled, Gordon nevertheless continued down the road, taking them through a tunnel at the end of the road. Emerging into the open, Gordon was struck by the thick display of trees on the grassy slope on their right, blocked off from them by a metal barrier. Peering through the trees, Gordon spotted a river at the bottom of the slope. The road ahead had suffered an avalanche from the rocky terrain on the left. A gap in the metal barrier in the right led through a narrow path through the trees and down to the shallow river. Gordon slowed and turned, taking the car down the uneven terrain and into the river.

On the left, Gordon could see a metal barricade lodged in the middle of the river. It was a wide metal gate, attached by cables to heavy winches at the top of two tall posts on either side of it. Stone steps on the left-hand side of the gate led up to a platform that would take them over to the other side. The other side of the gate was wedged up beside a ridge that was too tall for them to climb, at least not easily.

"Over there! I see an antenna," Alyx said suddenly, pointing off to the right. Bringing the car to a stop, Gordon followed her finger, spotting a complicated antenna array on the horizon, silhouetted by the grey clouds behind it. With a relief in her voice he hadn't heard in some time, Alyx smiled at him. "I think that's White Forest."

Blowing out a grateful breath of his own, Gordon nodded to the closed gate in front of him. "In that case…"

She saw the gate, and nodded her understanding. Shrugging, she lifted herself out of the car. "Well, we're close enough to make it the rest of the way on foot if we have to."

Groaning at the effort that would involve, Gordon switched off the car and stood up, stretching his back before slinging the Gravity Gun over his shoulders and joining Alyx as she walked to the steps. She handed him the pulse rifle before heading over first. Gordon followed, fruitlessly scanning for any controls for the gate. He hopped down to the other side and looked for Alyx. Eyes wide, he rushed after her quickly when he saw her heading for a very large object blocking the river ahead of them.

"Woah," she marvelled, moving over to the fallen creature, "a dropship."

Gordon joined her, eyes warily on the still creature. "That must have been the crash we heard," he mused, not sure if there was any point in aiming the pulse rifle at it.

Alyx nodded. "White Forest sentries are doing their job."

The dropship suddenly jolted with a metallic grunt, and they both stumbled back.

"What the hell?" Alyx whispered, pulling her pistol out in a largely futile gesture.

Back arching, the dropship was lifted into the air, balancing on the head of a growling Strider.

Her mouth dropped open. "A strider!"

They were both backing up now, running for the barricade while aiming their fairly useless weapons at the towering monster. It looked a little dizzy, stumbling about as it tossed the dropship off its head, leaving it to splash into the river behind it.

Gordon whirled around in a panic, looking for any kind of escape route. There were no steps to take them back over the barricade, and it was too high to climb. The ridge on the other side of the river was out, and the cliff-side on the left towered above them to a dizzying degree. Not even the mechanical hooting noise that blared out from above distracted Gordon from trying to find something, _anything _that could help them.

He frowned. Hooting noise?

Looking over at Alyx, he found that she had noticed it too, her eyes locked on a thick tree trunk that sprouted over the edge of the cliff above. The Strider focused on the tree trunk, weapon aimed at…

"Wait," Alyx gasped. "That sounds like…"

A familiar robotic shaped leapt onto the tree trunk, and Gordon grinned along with Alyx, both of them calling out his name.

"Dog!"

The Strider was nowhere as happy to see him, and charged its customary laser blast. Light and sound blurred towards the glowing blue tip of its main weapon, and Dog leapt from the tree trunk and straight at the Strider as it fired. Dust and wood splinters burst out behind the robot as he sailed through the air towards the alien creature. Thick metal fingers clamped onto the front of the Strider's head, and the creature swung about wildly, trying to dislodge him.

With one final swing of its head, the Strider tossed Dog away and through a tree on the ridge on the other side of the river.

Hands held out helplessly, Alyx brought them to her mouth. "Oh, no!"

Gordon tried desperately to see over the ridge, but couldn't find any sign of Dog. The Strider meanwhile, was bent very low down, heaving its head forward and expelling dark brown sludge from its underbelly - almost like it was vomiting.

Finally, Dog flipped to his feet, the upper part of his body visible to Gordon. The Strider spotted him, too, and let out a loud, digitised growl, stamping over to Dog even as the robot ran forward to meet him. It brought up a powerful leg and stamped it down towards Dog, who easily rolled out of the way, going between the Strider's legs and popping out the other side. Still dizzy, the Strider stumbled forward, head colliding with the cliff-face on the opposite side.

"Oh my God," Alyx said almost to herself.

With a frustrated snarl, the Strider stomped around on the spot to face Dog again. It tried again to stab down through him, only for Dog to twist out of the way. The robot backed up a couple of steps and balled his fists together, slamming them into the leg and sending the Strider stumbling off the ridge and into the river again. The larger monster let out a surprised yelp as it tumbled forward, head bowed and shaking from whatever ailment had afflicted it.

Dog backed up to the cliff-side and charged forward, leaping from the ridge and slamming into the back of the Strider's head. He held steadfast as the impact drove the Strider headfirst into the cliff-face opposite, cracking the surface and sending rocks tumbling down. The Strider stumbled back and up onto the ridge as Dog mounted it, latching on to one of the plates towards the front of its head. He pounded down on it with a mighty fist over and over again before clamping his fingers beneath the plate. With one almighty tug, Dog tore the plate off and tossed it away like a Frisbee.

"Way to go, boy!"

Still not finished, Dog plunged his hand down into the black mess beneath the plate, and pulled something out, snapping a cord at the bottom of it and throwing it through the air. It landed with a light splash in front of him, and Gordon noted with a wrinkled nose that it was a brain. With a wail louder than any Gordon had heard from a Strider, pinkish red liquid spewed from the hole Dog had created, and he and Alyx rushed aside to let it splatter against the rocky floor they had been stood on. The Strider stumbled back a few steps, teetering dangerously.

"Uh-oh," Gordon mumbled.

Alyx backed up to the barricade, grabbing onto his arm to get him to move with her. "Get clear!"

The Strider finally tumbled forward, throwing Dog loose and onto the ground on the other side of the river.

"Oh, no! Dog!" Alyx cried, running over and skidding to a halt beside the fallen robot. Dog was lying on his back, single red eye closed as Gordon approached. A deep fear clenched at Gordon's chest as he watched Alyx running her hand down his faceplates. "Wake up, Dog… please."

Peering around her, Gordon saw Dog's hand twitch. He smiled as Dog opened his eyes, blinking up at Alyx.

"You're all right!" Alyx exclaimed, her smile wide as she threw her arms around the robot. He returned the gesture without hesitation. After releasing the robot from her grasp, Alyx shook her head at him. "You had me worried there."

Dog bent his legs up in the air before slipping to his feet, looking happily between Alyx and Gordon as if to say there was nothing to worry about.

Unconvinced, Alyx looked over the various hinges and gears that made up Dog's limbs. "Everything working all right?"

Beeping happily, Dog nodded.

"Good."

"You all right down there?"

Alarmed by the sudden, loud voice, Gordon looked up to the top of the cliff-face. Two rebels were looking down at them from above, their faces slightly obscured by the smoke coming from the burnt tree trunk.

"We're fine!" Alyx replied, waving her hand. Gordon did the same, just because he felt he should.

"Is Dog okay?"

Looking over at the robot, Alyx grinned when Dog jiggled his body about in what Gordon realised was the robot's equivalent of a dog wagging its tail.

"Better now!" she said simply.

"We've been waiting for you! Just follow the stream, then head up the other side!" He pointed a finger to the horizon, in the direction of the antenna. "White Forest is _right there! _You can't miss it!"

Alyx nodded and waved another hand of confirmation. "All right, thanks!" She looked back to him, nodding to the gate. "Come on, Gordon, get the car and we'll challenge Dog to a race."

He cocked an eyebrow. "Race?"

"Yeah, it'll be fun." She looked up at him, smiling. "Dog's way too cocky, needs to be taken down a peg or two."

"Uh… right."

Grateful to be so close to their goal but also wary that positive thinking always got him into trouble, Gordon walked back to the barricade. Dog lumbered alongside, stopping at the white metal gate for only a moment before slipping his thick metal fingers beneath and lifting it above his head effortlessly.

"Thanks," Gordon said, and Dog beeped casually. He walked through the river and to the car while Dog and Alyx waited, his legs kicking up water as he went. Boots slick on the pedals, Gordon had to concentrate to keep them from slipping off as he started the car and got it into gear. He slowly moved the growling car beneath the bridge and over to where Alyx was waiting beside the river.

She clambered over the front of the car and got into her seat. Nodding to Gordon, she turned to watch Dog walk alongside as they drove slowly up to the dropship that still blocked their path.

"Looks like we need your help again," Alyx said to Dog, her tone content as though this were the routine she was used to. "Would you mind?"

Without a noise of acknowledgment or protest, Dog lumbered over to the dropship and hopped up onto the ridge on the right. Grabbing onto the tail end of the creature, Dog tugged it aside, pulling again and again until it was out of their way. Job done, he happily leapt back down from the ridge and landed beside them, splashing water on their laps.

"Okay, Dog…" she said slyly, glancing at Gordon out of the corner of her eye. His fingers were wrapped around the handbrake, ready for the word. He was smiling inanely, and couldn't for the life of him think why. Races weren't exactly his forte, particularly not when cars were involved. And yet, at the present moment, he couldn't help but think about how much _fun _this all was.

"Race you to the base!" Alyx said quickly, slapping Gordon's waiting hand as Dog whirled around on the spot and started galloping upstream. "Step on it, Gordon!"

He did so, at first following Dog as he leapt out of the river and up onto a grassy verge on the right. It led up a path that seemed pretty self-explanatory, curving up to the left before going to the right and presumably straight to White Forest itself. Once he knew the way, Gordon smirked and really put his foot down. They came up beside Dog, who looked surprised to see them as they turned to the left.

They stayed like this for some time, each one alternating in and out of the lead. Once they skid around the right turn and Gordon saw the watchtower beside the metal gates of White Forest, he punched the turbo. With a powerful roar that transformed Gordon's smirk into a full grin, the car shot away from Dog, racing to the front gates of the base before Gordon slammed a foot on the brakes, turning the car and coming in for a skidding halt at the wooden bollards that had been erected in front of the gate.

"Here they come!" the soldier in the watchtower called out. "It's Alyx and Gordon Freeman!"

"Here it is! We made it!" Alyx cheered, putting a hand on his wrist.

Letting out a relived breath, Gordon switched off the car and slowly swivelled his legs around, allowing himself to relax for a moment. He heard Dog's heavy footsteps stomp over.

"Better luck next time, slowpoke," Alyx laughed, and Gordon looked up to see Dog shaking his head in shame.

Though he knew it was childish, Gordon couldn't help but smile. That was first time he had won much of anything sport related. Even his running was more of a solo act; he very rarely took part in _actual _races. So to win at this, in a car with a roaring engine and a hot girl in the passenger seat? That was pretty special.

As Gordon got to his feet and scooped up the Gravity Gun, Alyx shouted up to the rebel in the watchtower.

"Let us in!"

Smiling, he cupped a hand over his mouth at a rebel on the other side of the gates beneath him, on the ground floor. "Yo, let them through!"

The rebel pressed a button on the control panel beside the gates, and they slid open easily.

"Thanks," Alyx said, suddenly sounding as tired as she probably was.

"We had a feeling you were close when we saw Dog take off like that," the rebel shouted, grinning inanely.

She laughed, looking back at the robot happily. "I was never so glad to see him, believe me."

Gordon looked back over the landscape stretching out before him. The Citadel portal was tiny now. He felt like he could reach out and crush it in his hand. He blew out a disbelieving laugh, shaking his head at the concept that they had travelled so far in such a short amount of time.

"Hard to believe, huh?" Alyx sighed, coming up beside him.

"Yeah…" he said quietly.

"Uh…" Hands in her pockets, she looked down at her boots before directing her gaze at the horizon again. "What you said before. At the house."

Horror built in him, and Gordon shook his head vehemently. "Oh, forget it. It wasn't relevant, I don't even know why I-"

"It _is _good to know."

He froze, eyes on the twisting portal in the distance. "Oh." He took a breath, feeling like he should say something more. Nothing seemed relevant, so he settled for a mumbled and slightly pleased, "Good."

Alyx took a deep breath. "Well, Gordon… we made it." He looked over at her, and saw she was staring right at him, a gentle smile making his shoulders relax just that little bit more. "White Forest. Safe at last."

Dog was already trudging past them, heading through the gate.

Alyx nodded in the robot's direction. "Come on, let's get inside."

Nothing sounded better to Gordon right now. He turned away from the grey-skied vista and followed Dog through the gates and to the left, towards a grey complex that probably stretched out much further than Gordon could even contemplate. Areas around him were fenced off, where he could see rebels guarding doorways. All of them stared at the pair of them as they approached the base, of course.

"Hello, Dr Freeman," a random voice said, and Gordon turned in time to see one of two rebels running past him and toward the gate, nodding at him in acknowledgement. Walking backwards, he waved an unsure hand back, though the rebel in question wasn't looking at him anymore.

As they reached a door leading into room that resembled an airlock, a voice boomed out from above.

"Well, Gordon Freeman! And about time, too."

He looked up to see a cheery rebel standing on the roof of the building, rocket launcher propped over his shoulder as he waved to Gordon. Remembering just how awkward all this 'One Free Man' stuff was, Gordon waved a tired hand.

And here he was, walking into a based full of them. Hopefully Alyx would protect him.

* * *

(A/N: Hey, everybody, thanks for the reviews. I'll have to ask for some patience as far as the next chapter is concerned; it's a doozy, content wise. A lot of stuff to get in there. Anyway, yeah, hope you're enjoying the story, and please review!

And Merry Christmas!

_Next Chapter: Our Mutual Fiend)_


	11. Our Mutual Fiend

Disclaimer: I don't own _Half-Life._

_**Aftermath**_

_**Chapter Eleven: Our Mutual Fiend**_

They were only alone in the room for a few moments before the garage door at the other end of the room rattled open, retracting into the ceiling. A cheerful rebel with a thin black goatee was on the other side.

"Alyx, Dr Freeman, you made it!" he greeted, throwing his arms out for a hug.

Gordon was initially confused and wondered if he should embrace the man when Alyx beat him to it.

"Hey Sam!" she said, audibly relieved as she wrapped her arms around him. "Boy, are we glad to be here."

Trying to convince himself that the unpleasant tingle in his stomach wasn't jealousy, Gordon was nevertheless relieved when they slapped each other on the backs in a friendly manner before separating. Dog slumped down against the wall beside him, legs crossed and his head moving from person to person as they spoke.

"Yeah, we heard you ran into a little trouble out there," Sam said, leading them through the door and into the tunnel beyond. They were in a sort of holding area, blocked off by a fence ahead of them. "Combine's been trying to head in the front door. I think they learned their lesson," he smirked, then hesitantly looked to Alyx, gesturing to Dog. "Mind if we keep Dog patrolling out here?"

Smiling, she held her hands up acquiescingly. "Not at all." She leant forward to talk to the disappointed looking Dog, hands on her knees. "You heard him, Dog. I'm going to see Dad. I'll catch up to you later." He whined, and Alyx patted his head. "Take care of yourself."

"I don't think Eli knows you're here yet," Sam said with sly smile, prompting the same expression from Alyx. He pointed a thumb over his shoulder and through the open gateway in the fence behind him. "He's in the Silo 1 access unit, right through here."

Alyx to turned to Gordon, eyebrow cocked. "Shall we?"

Gordon, however, was focused on the tunnel ahead of them that branched off to the right as well as proceeding further into the distance. Another fence closed off the tunnel that went straight ahead, where he could see rebels sat on crates and barrels that had been left against the walls. On the closer side of the fence, a series of old televisions and monitors had been erected in the upper corner of the wall on the left, giving the two rebels beneath them a view of the surrounding area of the base.

The other tunnel going to the right had a label on the upper section of the wall that read 'SILO 1 ACCESS', with an arrow underlining it and pointing to the right. A group of rebels had gathered beneath it, alternatively sat and stood in a semi-circle around an older resistance member giving them some form of lecture, pointing to his pulse rifle now and again.

"Gordon?"

He blinked in surprise, then looked over at Alyx. Sam and Dog were gone, though Gordon could still hear the robot's footsteps clanking behind him and back outside. "Hm?"

"Let's go, huh? I want to see my dad."

Embarrassed about drifting off, Gordon cleared his throat and nodded. "Yeah, sure. Sorry."

They moved through the gap and out into the tunnel beyond. Following the arrow on the wall, Gordon and Alyx moved toward a doorway at the end of the tunnel that led into a corridor going both left and right. As they passed the surveillance monitors, alarms suddenly blared and red lights flashed. They both ducked down, looking around first in surprise, then in resignation.

"What now?" a rebel sighed from the tunnel on the other side of the fence.

"Oh no," Alyx groaned, her hand hovering over her pistol. "What's that?"

The alarm abruptly cut out, replaced by the high pitched whine of microphone feedback. After tapping it a few times, Dr Magnusson's irritated voice boomed out.

"_All right, back to work, everyone," _the older scientist grumbled,_ "It's just another false alarm in the secondary silo."_

With a vicious crackle, the transmission cut out. Gordon sighed. He wasn't looking forward to seeing him again. Alyx smiled up at the speakers attached to the ceiling, shaking her head.

"Same old Dr Magnusson," she sighed.

Gordon nodded tiredly before heading toward the door, slowing to a halt when he overheard the lecture being led by the old, stony rebel.

"So, you ever used an AR2 before?" he said, lifting the pulse rifle in his hand. Gordon frowned curiously. He didn't know it was called an AR2.

The only member of his audience wearing civilian denims answered, jutting out his bottom lip thoughtfully. "AR2? Nooo… now, an AR3, sure. Plenty of times."

Icy eyes studying the man, the lecturer simply said, "There's no such thing as an AR3."

The man smiled with faux-modesty, looking very satisfied with himself as he talked to a bemused female rebel beside him. "Well, see, in the city, the place was lousy with AR3s."

Becoming visibly irritated, the lecturer glared. "No it wasn't."

"Yes it was," the man said earnestly, nodding with wide eyes.

"No it w-!" the lecturer stopped himself, letting out a calming breath. "So," he continued slowly, ignoring the man for the moment as he scanned over the others, "do you know what the alternative fire method does on the AR2? It kills Hunters."

Gordon and Alyx nodded together, first to each other and then to the other rebels. "That's true, it does," they said in sync.

Relieved to have someone in agreement, the lecturer nodded at them before his gaze drifted down to the citizen disparagingly. "How did you city folk kill Hunters?"

"We sure as hell didn't use guns," he snorted, trying to look cool for the woman beside him but instead coming across as goofy. "We would just wrestle Hunters to the ground with our bare hands. I used to kill ten - twenty! - a day, just using my fists."

A suspicious look flitted between Gordon and Alyx, and the lecturer reached breaking point.

"Oh, so when you're out in the field, you're going to be _punching _Hunters?"

"Out in the field?" the citizen objected vehemently, his voice jumping up an octave. "I'm not going out in the field. I'm a radio operator."

The entire group groaned. Rolling her eyes, Alyx touched Gordon's arm, and nodded to the exit. A little troubled at how easily they had been sucked into the conversation, Gordon blinked and nodded.

As they left, Gordon saw the lecturer's head drop, sighing. The last he saw of the discussion was the lecturer jabbing his finger at the doorway, staring down at the citizen. "That's it. Leave. You don't need to be here, and I'm not going to continue the lesson until you leave."

"I'm staying right here," the citizen shot back defensively, their voices fading as Gordon moved through the doorway with Alyx.

"I am serious, leave."

Smiling at him, Alyx shrugged, and Gordon tuned out the rest of the argument. He looked up and down the corridor, seeing closed metal hatches and a window on the wall opposite looking through at an office with an old sofa. A man and woman on the sofa were entwined with each other, discussing matters that were mercifully unable to get through the thick glass of the window.

"Uh…" he looked up and down the corridor. "Where do we go?"

"Good question," she mumbled, looking to the right. "I'll check down there," she said over her shoulder, heading in that direction.

Gordon nodded his understanding, and headed for an open metal hatch at the end of the corridor on the left. It took him through into a monitoring station. A metal hatch the same as the others was on the right-hand side of the room. The left-hand wall was made up of small televisions, a citizen with a clipboard jotting down notes from the readings on the screens as she walked up and down the platform beneath it. An old computer console rested in front of the platform, where a Vortigaunt and someone very familiar was working.

Unable to hold back his smile, Gordon cleared his throat, and Eli looked over casually, clearly not expecting him. His face erupted into a wide grin, and he tossed his clipboard back onto the console, taking a few hobbling steps toward him.

"Hey, Gordon! Man, you made it!"

Opening his mouth to reply, Gordon stopped when Alyx appeared in the doorway, glistening eyes locked on Eli.

"Dad!"

"Alyx-" The elder man whirled on the spot to face her, and only managed to take one desperate step before Alyx had hurled herself at him, burying her face in his chest and wrapping her arms around his waist.

"I was so afraid I wouldn't see you again," she said quietly, and for the first time in quite awhile, Gordon saw her as Eli's daughter again.

With a grandfatherly smile that Gordon knew well from twenty years ago (just with less wrinkles), Eli stroked her head. He brought her face up so he could look her in the eye.

"There, there, sweetheart, we're together now. That's all that matters." His deep brown eyes flitted over to Gordon, and his kind smile became one of pride. "And look at you, son. I knew if you both stayed together you could get through anything."

Shrugging and adjusting his glasses, Gordon exchanged a smile with Alyx. "Well, it _did_ go smoothly. Relatively."

She nodded with a satisfied smile, folding her arms. "Yeah, we make a pretty good team."

Hand brushing his chin, Eli smiled at them. "Yeah, well, that's good, because, well… now the suppression field is down…" He smirked at Alyx and winked at Gordon. "…we all have to do our part."

"Oh, good God," Gordon quietly gasped, mortified as he tried to look at anything else in the room except Alyx and Eli.

Alyx's previously clueless face dropped. "Dad!" she scolded, hitting her father on the arm before burying her reddening face in her hands. She turned away from him as he chortled away, very much enjoying the embarrassment he had wrought on his daughter.

"Can you blame an old man for wanting grandkids?" The last few words died in his throat, his smile vanishing when he saw the back of Alyx's jacket, and the two blood soaked holes the Hunter had left there. "What's… what's happened to you?"

Peeking up from behind her hand, Alyx turned to see Eli inspecting the wound, and waved her hands around dismissively. "Dad, it's not what it looks like," she said slowly. "I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" he asked quietly, his eyes whipping between her and, almost pleadingly, at Gordon. "Shouldn't we have that looked at?"

"Really, I'm _fine_," she insisted, as though it were only a scratch on her knee.

His voice shaking absurdly, Gordon adjusted his glasses and cleared his throat before trying to speak again. "She's okay, Eli. The Vorts helped her." He looked to the Vortigaunt working on the console for support, but didn't see any acknowledgement from the back of the alien's head. He sighed, shrugging helplessly. "But she _is _fine."

Eli was still unconvinced, and Alyx took the initiative before he could ask any more questions.

"Uh, where's Dr Kleiner?" she said quickly, pulling out the data packet from her belt and holding it in the air. "We should get this data to him right away."

"Um… okay. Yes," Eli said unsurely, blinking as though the thought hadn't even occurred to him. He looked from Alyx to Gordon, and back again. "Yes, we should. He'll be glad for a chance to get out of the silo." He limped to the hatch on the other side of the room, summoning Gordon with a wave of his hand as he went by. "This way, Gordon."

Alyx gave Gordon a relieved, wide-eyed look as she joined him in following her father.

He punched a code into the keypad beside the door, chuckling to himself as the door opened. "The way he and Magnusson have been going at it, you'd think they were still competing for grant money."

_That _sounded familiar. Gordon remembered silently watching some of their legendary verbal battles, usually with Barney egging them on when it sounded like the argument was dying down.

"Some things never change," Alyx sighed, rolling her eyes.

Eli took them into the diagonal elevator shaft in the room beyond. The elevator itself was more of a platform, surrounded by yellow metal bars surrounding the sides and top. He pushed open a waist-height gate and walked inside. As they descended, Gordon's eyes were focused on the currently closed metal door at the bottom of the slanted elevator shaft, only looking up when Alyx started speaking.

"Any word from Barney?" Gordon asked, surprising both Eli and Alyx with the abruptness of the question.

The way Eli's eyes hit the floor didn't inspire confidence. "We're not sure. Last we heard his train was ahead of yours. But after the Citadel blew…" he sighed. "It's anyone's guess. But he's not stupid. He knows enough to keep moving _away _from the portal."

"Do we have any idea how long until the superportal's active?" Alyx asked, fidgeting with the data packet between her fingers.

"We don't know for certain," Eli replied slowly. "We're keeping an eye on it."

"And what about the Combine? Will we be able to launch before they attack?"

A frown creased his already wrinkled forehead as he thought about his answer. "It's going to be close. All it would take is one Strider to destroy our rocket. But we're ready for them," he growled, slamming a determined fist into his palm and giving Gordon a glimpse of the resistance leader Eli Vance.

Alyx clutched the data packet tighter. "I'm sorry we couldn't get here any sooner, Dad."

Smiling kindly, Eli waved his hand about to quiet her. "Don't worry, sweetheart, we're going to make it." He reached over and rubbed her arm. "I'm just so glad to have you back."

The tension seemed to ooze from her shoulders, a grateful breath escaping her. "I'm glad to be back."

A familiar voice echoed through the metal door as they approached. Dr Kleiner, lost in his own little world. "Everything seems to be in order… I only wonder…"

Another voice, this one familiar in a groan-inducing capacity, snarked back. "The last thing on my mind was submitting it for the Kleiner certificate of approval. Whatever troubles we might have had were the result of staffing and supply deficiencies."

The elevator clanged to a halt on ground level and changed to a horizontal track beneath them. They began moving forward, and the metal door opened.

"Oh my God…" Alyx gasped.

Gordon couldn't help but agree, agape at the sight slowly revealing itself before them. It was the missile silo He had shown him, back in the ant-lion caves. Kleiner stood atop the steps propped up against the left side of the nosecone, while Magnusson gesticulated wildly with his back to them.

"And get your cranio-conjugal parasite away from my nosecone!" he bellowed, storming off to a console tucked around the right-hand side of the walkway that formed a perimeter around the nosecone.

Said parasite, Lamarr, leapt from the hatch Kleiner was working on, landing in her owner's arms almost fearfully. Ducking down to grab the headcrab, Kleiner's glasses fell down his nose.

"N-now listen here, Magnusson," he stuttered, adjusting his glasses. "There's no call for … _hurtful_ comments." His gaze settled on them as they walked into the silo, and he gasped. "Good grief! Eli! Why-" he stopped as he awkwardly struggled to pry Lamarr from his chest, finally managing to gently drop her to the floor, "-didn't you tell me they'd arrived?"

Eli put his hands in the air as Kleiner shuffled over busily. "Don't worry Izzy. They just got here."

With a wide smile that he seemed to be struggling to contain, Kleiner took Alyx's hand, bowing his head gracefully.

"My dear, what a relief – not to mention a delight – to see you here at last." He looked over at Gordon, who was having trouble prying his eyes from the rocket. "And Gordon, I see you and the HEV suit have taken excellent care of each other."

"Well-" he looked down at the HEV suit, only then noticing the thick layer of mud from crawling through the blockade outside Sturgess' base.

"Oh," Alyx laughed, smirking at Gordon. "They're inseparable."

He frowned at what his overwrought brain perceived as a dig, and was about to reply when Magnussons' booming voice made him literally jump on the spot.

"The data, people, the data!" he shouted, throwing his hands up in exasperation. "Kleiner, are you going to sync up the satellite? Or should I postpone the launch to make time for a family reunion?" he said sweetly, wiggling his fingers about in the air.

"Oh, brother…" Eli groaned, accompanied by Alyx rolling her eyes.

"All right, all right," Kleiner said defensively. "I was just saying hello to Alyx and Gordon."

As impossible as it seemed, Magnusson's scowl became even deeper. "Oh, _fine. _No-one grants me a moment's peace, but by all means, _unroll _the red carpet," he said dramatically, throwing a hand in the air as he marched back to the console.

Sputtering and groaning helplessly, Kleiner looked desperately at them for support. "Good grief! I only meant they might-"

"I know, I know," Eli soothed quietly, almost under his breath.

Kleiner let his shoulders drop, adjusting his glasses in a manner that Gordon suddenly realised, to his horror, he had been unconsciously copying. Alyx noticed it too, and shot an amazed, mocking gape at Gordon with a subtle finger pointed at Kleiner. She mouthed 'It's you', which just made him scowl.

"Oh, never mind him," Kleiner sighed. "Now, my dear, where is this data packet you've been carrying?" Glancing over in Magnusson's direction, he ducked his head down, smiling mischievously. "If I delay a single moment, I'll never hear the end of it."

"You have my word on it!" Magnusson barked.

Raising his eyebrows in an 'I told you so' expression, Kleiner shrugged.

Grinning, Alyx tapped the data packet on her palm before handing it over. "It's right here, Dr Kleiner. We've got a ton of data. The strange thing is it was all attached to a transmission from Judith."

Previously content to merely listen, Eli suddenly sprang forward, eyes whipping from the data packet to Alyx. "Transmission? From Judith?"

Her head dropped, and she looked back to Gordon in disbelief. "Do you mean the message didn't get through?"

"We've got to see this right away," Eli gasped, snatching Kleiner's arm.

Nodding with a determination not commonly seen, Kleiner led the way back to the elevator. "Just let me start the decoding process, and then we can view it in the auxiliary control room."

Eli followed him quickly, struggling not to overtake the elderly scientist. "For God's sake, hurry."

"Yes, yes, of course," he said soothingly.

Alyx gave Gordon a worried look as they walked to the now occupied elevator. An alarm klaxon blared out before they had even taken a step, and they tilted their heads up to the source of the noise.

"_Another _alarm?" Alyx asked, incredulous.

"Oh, what next in the parade of _constant_ interruptions?" Magnusson boomed, waving his arm in the air in a gesture that Gordon remembered from Victory, back in the mines. The irascible scientist stabbed a finger into the control panel in front of him. "Hello? Hello, is anyone there? _Anyone?" _Arms latched onto either side of the console, Magnusson's head dropped in exasperation. He looked up at them, shaking his head._ "_False alarms all day –damn crows have been nesting in the tracks. I _do not _know how I am supposed to concentrate with all this racket!"

That was when his gaze locked on to Gordon, and he couldn't help but sigh at the sentence that was inevitably coming.

"Freeman," he barked, before stomping toward him. "Freeman, you're not doing anything. Make yourself useful and find out what the hell is going on in there."

Gordon glanced back and forth between Magnusson and Alyx. "Uh, but…" The words that came to mind were 'But I _really _don't want to', but Eli's voice but a nix on that little idea.

"Uh, yes," Eli said reluctantly. "Gordon, if you don't mind, I'd feel better if you had a look."

"W- I-" The objections died in his throat, so he just groaned and nodded tiredly.

Shrugging, Alyx smiled and patted him on the arm. "Catch up with us when you're done." She turned to go, and Gordon watched her go a little sadly.

Magnusson grunted behind him. "Oh, I see you got rid of that idiotic ponytail. About time, too, you looked like an overemotional teenager," he shouted over his shoulder as he wandered back to the console.

Alyx froze, her back to him. Eyes clamped shut, Gordon's face scrunched up as tightly as he could manage. The pause was horrible, and quite possibly worse than any other experience in Gordon's life.

"Ponytail?" Alyx managed, voice shaking.

"…yeah…" he croaked, unable to find the courage to open his eyes.

"You… had a _ponytail?"_

A sigh escaped him as he finally opened his eyes, though he kept his gaze locked on the floor. "It was just a little one. I got rid of it before the whole… resonance cascade, end of the world thing."

"Freeman!" said scientist cried.

"I have to go," Gordon said quickly, whirling around and pacing as fast as possible to Magnusson.

Alyx was mercifully silent as she walked back into the elevator, though Gordon did catch what she said as the door closed behind her. "Twenty years of Gordon Freeman stories, and you _never _told me he had a ponytail?"

Gordon slowly turned his head to face Magnusson, who was bathed in the orange light of the console he worked on.

"Well, thank you for that," Gordon said, quietly.

"What? Oh, do pay attention, Freeman," Magnusson dismissed. "The blast doors will have sealed due to the alert, so you'll have to go through the bottom of the launch tube." He pointed to a hatch behind them in the walkway, a ladder leading down below. "I'll open this hatch to let you down," he said. "Now, once you're down there, I'll have Uriah let you into the secondary silo."

Magnusson pressed a button, and the hatch creaked open. Frowning, Gordon tried to remember if anyone had told him about an Uriah. Was he another scientist from Black Mesa, just one he'd never met?

Ducking his head, Magnusson looked up at Gordon with an arched eyebrow. "Well? What are you waiting for, Freeman? A hug? The situation is not going to investigate itself!"

He considered a retort, but remembered that such attempts never ended well with Magnusson, who just shouted louder and called you a moron until you gave up. Giving a pointed little salute to the seething older man, Gordon turned to the ladder and started climbing down to the next walkway down. He hopped off the bottom few rungs, the walkway clattering beneath his feet. There was an open elevator tucked into a gap in the wall on the right, and Gordon headed over there, his gaze on the rocket as he went. Steam hissed and metal clattered from below, and Gordon was instantly taken back to Black Mesa again, travelling on the rail, preparing the rocket for launch… Philips and Bennett.

He hoped they didn't suffer, in the end.

Shuddering the thought away as he walked into the elevator, Gordon pressed the down button, and watched curiously as it took him down to the bottom of the launch tube. It gave him a view of all the various areas of the silo, citizens running back and forth, lugging around crates and complicated pieces of machinery and mostly looking quite irritable.

This attitude only increased when the announcement system crackled to life, Magnusson's condescending tones echoing forth.

"_Attention, personnel. This is Dr Magnusson. Since the secondary silo staff seem incapable of solving their little crow problem, you will be happy to hear we have put the indomitable Dr Freeman on the job. We all look forward to his remedy." _

Gordon didn't appreciate the sarcasm.

"_And I look forward to hearing the staff's excuses for why they couldn't handle it themselves! Thank you for your patience!"_ he spat, the transmission abruptly cutting out as Magnusson no doubt jabbed an angry finger onto the off switch.

The elevator clanged to a halt on the bottom floor, and Gordon stepped out. He was now staring at the engines of the rocket, the hiss of steam and the thrum of unseen generators surrounding him. Stepping forward into the corridor that ran around the rocket, Gordon saw that left simply led into the rocket chamber itself, and so he followed it to the right. At the end was a metal hatch, which was closed, naturally. A keypad on the left-hand side of the door didn't offer much hope, since no-one had told him any access codes.

Looking around the door, he saw the thinnest sliver of a window on the right-hand side, and walked over to it. Peering through, he saw a Vortigaunt in the room beyond, his back to him as he worked on a computer station on the left side of the room. And he was wearing a lab coat. Gordon guessed that this was Uriah, and knocked on the window.

Head slowly lifting up in response to the noise, the Vortigaunt looked in the opposite direction before rotating around and locking his red eye on him.

"Ah," he growled, shrugging his shoulders to keep the lab coat from dropping off as he walked over. He tapped at an unseen keypad on the other side, and, after an affirmative bleep, the hatch slid open noisily.

Gordon stepped through into the room beyond, which seemed to be an airlock of sorts, a hatch on each side.

"Well met, Freeman," the Vort praised, hands clasped together.

Checking the nametag on his lab coat, Gordon found that his name was indeed Uriah. Although the picture seemed somewhat redundant, he couldn't help but note. Shaking the thought away, he smiled at the Vort. "Thanks for opening the door."

Uriah bowed his head. "The Magnusson has instructed me to admit you into the secondary silo." He waved a claw to the open hatch on the other side of the room. "The secondary silo can be reached through here."

"Thanks," he said quickly, moving on through the door before Magnusson could complain again.

Alarm klaxons sounded as he moved through the door, turning left and through a maze of narrow corridors, eventually coming out at a corridor with an open doorway at the far end. There was a mound of steps halfway down the corridor. A rebel appeared in the open doorway, waving him over cheerfully.

"Hey, over here!"

Gordon decided to head that way just as Magnusson's _delightful _voice pounded through the corridor again.

"_For God's sake Freeman, what is taking you so long? Oh, I cannot concentrate with all this racket! These feathered fiends are the most persistent I've ever… wait. What is this?"_

Frowning, Gordon looked up, waiting for what Magnusson had found so worrisome while the rebel shouted over to him.

"An extra pair of hands. Magnusson must have sent you, eh?"

A Hunter burst into the corridor behind the rebel, dust and cement tumbling out with it. It slammed a hoof down on the rebel, slamming him into the ground and yanking him through the now closing metal door.

"Run for your life!"

Gordon sprinted for the rebel, arm outstretched, but only managed to hit the now closed metal door.

"_Oh my God, oh dear. This is a breach! " _Magnusson gasped, as though he couldn't believe it._ "A breach! Attention, attention, personnel, this is Dr Magnusson! We are experiencing a breach of internal base defences. Please bear with us while we pinpoint the location of the breach."_

Scrambling to his feet, Gordon tried to the metal door. Locked, probably like all the other doors, some automated security thing. Made sense, he supposed, even if it wasn't that convenient for him right now. Gordon moved back to the steps halfway down the corridor. There was a gap just beside the steps that he estimated he could squeeze through, that also looked like it led to a maintenance crawlspace that would take him left and beneath the wall.

Gordon crouched down and crawled through, nodding in satisfaction at the crawlspace that stretched out to the left. Magnusson's voice joined the sounds of alarms, gunfire and Hunter growls from the adjacent room.

Once he had crawled beneath the wall, gaps in the right hand-side of the crawlspace revealed a large storage room beyond, walkways snaking around the walls. It was a long room, stretching out to the left further than Gordon could see. He estimated he could only really see half of it. Huge metal storage frames were all over the place, divided into squares for… well, storing things. A dead rebel body tumbled along the ground past him, and a Hunter stomped into view, its back to him.

Other rebels in the room opened fire on the creature as Gordon increased his crawling speed. The Hunter snarled and fired darts, though Gordon didn't wait to see if they hit their intended targets, instead continuing his crawl through the cramped passageway that eventually took him to the right and into the other corner of the room. Once there, there was a large enough gap on the right for him to emerge into the open air.

Standing to his full height, Gordon found the room eerily quiet. Except for the blaring alarms, but they had become white noise by now. Pulse rifle drawn, Gordon moved slowly into the area. The Hunter landed behind him as he reached the middle of the open space, hooves thumping angrily against the ground. It must have been hiding on the walkways above. Whirling on the spot, Gordon was nailed across the chest by a might swing of the Hunter's front leg, releasing his grip on the rifle and tossing him across the room.

He collided with a metal storage frame incredibly hard before dropping to the ground. Groaning, Gordon adjusted his askew glasses in time to roll away from a barrage of the Hunter's darts. He was on his feet again by the time he heard them charge, eyes on the Hunter as it stalked around him. The darts exploded against the wall opposite, and the Hunter took that as a signal to charge at him.

Though he tried to leap to the side at the last moment, the Hunter caught his shoulder in mid-jump, sending him whirling in the air before tumbling to the ground in an awkward heap. Face pressed against the cool concrete floor, Gordon spied a car engine that had toppled from one of the storage spaces.

"_Attention, Freeman! It is critical that you seal the overhead silo doors and stop this infiltration!"_

"Busy!" he grunted through clenched teeth. The Hunter turned to face him, and he started rolling, coming to his feet with the Gravity Gun poised. Bringing the engine to him, he whirled on the spot, unintentionally catching the darts the Hunter was firing at him. He glanced down with a quiet 'huh' at the display of blue projectiles lodged into the engine before looking up in alarm at the quickly approaching Hunter.

Gordon dove to the ground, skidding along the floor with the engine held up in front of him, aimed at the Hunter. A thought occurred to him, and he waited for the deadly whine of the darts that foretold an explosion. He fired it at the Hunter, which was preparing another charge. The darts exploded just as the engine collided with the creature, and, with a blinding flash of light, the Hunter disintegrated, disappearing in a blur. It wasn't completely unlike the reaction from the secondary fire of the pulse rifle.

Speaking of which…

He scrambled over to his dropped rifle and scooped it up as he ran by, heading for a ladder on the far side of the room that led into a darkened, red-lit corridor. So. Seal the silo doors. Gordon nodded as he climbed the ladder, always feeling better when he had a goal. Even if it was a goal that he had no idea how to accomplish.

As he reached the ledge of the small platform jutting out from the bottom of the corridor, a Combine soldier came to a skidding halt at the end of the doorway. Gordon brought up the pulse rifle and fired just as the soldier looked down in his direction, noticing him for the first time.

The soldier tumbled forward past Gordon, and he clambered inside the corridor without looking back. Everything was bathed in a red light, and it only added unnecessary tension as he progressed around a corner taking him left, bringing him to a junction that could take him either straight ahead or diagonally left. A turret that had been erected at the end of the diagonal left corridor solved that little problem, and Gordon darted forward, away from a hail of bullets.

Both corridors led to the same room, also bathed in red light. A generator room, judging by the two semicircular machines connected by thick cables and pipes to the walls on the right. A thick water pipe on the opposite wall had ruptured, and water gushed out onto the floor. It was ankle deep at the moment. There was a door on the far side of the room, almost directly opposite from him.

Pressing his back to the left wall, Gordon slowly moved up towards where he knew the turret had been set up, having to make his way around a tall set of portable shelves. The wheels were pretty much useless in this level of water, so moving them wasn't an option. Finally, entire body crouched down, Gordon managed to sneak his way up to the turret, and blasted it over with the Gravity Gun before it could take much notice of him.

He sighed, and turned his attention to the door. As he sloshed his way through the water, he heard a familiar thumping coming from inside the darkened passageway, and instantly started to back up. A Hunter burst through the doorway, massive shoulders sending chunks of the wall flying where it wouldn't fit. Its gaze whipped over to him, and it snarled before firing off a burst of darts.

Gordon ducked to the right, the water slowing him down considerably. The Hunter's eyes followed him, not even waiting for the darts embedded in the wall to explode before ducking its head down and charging at him. It kicked up tall waves of water as it galloped towards him, and Gordon started firing with the pulse rifle, aiming for the muscular legs. All it managed to accomplish was a brief stumble, which was enough to give Gordon time to roll away from the deadly charge.

The Hunter turned quickly, bringing up a wounded leg and stamping it down towards him. Gordon shifted his body, and the hoof plunged down through the water, narrowly missing his side and cracking the floor beneath him. He started firing again point blank, wincing at the strobe flashing of the weapon in the darkened room. Snarling and wheezing, the Hunter tried to get away from Gordon, stamping its legs about and giving him a chance to dart forward and scramble to his feet.

Whirling around with rifle ready, he was greeted by a jackhammer of a kick to his chest, sending him up at and angle and back across the room, landing between the two generators. The Hunter's thunderous approaching spurring him on past any pain, Gordon leapt to his feet, and found to his horror that the pulse rifle was gone, lost beneath the flowing water. Eyes on the Hunter, Gordon pulled out the crowbar. He leapt aside as the Hunter reached him, clambering onto the generator in front of him as the creature slammed into the other, crushing much of it.

Sparks flew and smoke belched out from the machine. The Hunter stumbled back, dizzied by the impact, and Gordon leapt onto its back. It thrashed for just a moment before Gordon brought the crowbar down, stabbing the pointed end through the Hunter's top eye. Thick grey liquid spewed out, and the Hunter wailed, its legs wobbling for a moment before the whole creature collapsed to the ground, lifeless.

Finally allowing himself to breath, Gordon rolled off the body, splashing into an awkward sitting heap beside the dead creature. His head rested back and his eyes closed, he breathed deeply, struggling to accommodate his burning lungs.

Magnusson's voice burst into the few brief seconds of rest, making Gordon jerk his head back ever so slightly. _"Freeman, I repeat, there has been a breach of the secondary silo by way of the overhead launch doors! I will trust you to seal the silo doors!"_

Gordon groaned. "All right, all right…"

With a pained grunt, he angled himself to his feet. He swayed a little when he stood up, and frowned down at his feet, urging them to pick up the slack. Still gripping the crowbar for lack of anything else, he proceeded into the room beyond, which was in fact a diagonal elevator shaft, similar to the one he had taken down to the rocket with Eli and Alyx. Except for the lack of the elevator platform itself. Legs aching a little, Gordon lumbered up the passageway and out into a corridor, finally, that wasn't bathed in demonic reds and blacks.

"Okay," he sighed.

He followed the corridor along before he was blocked, stuck between two doors on either side of him. The ceiling had caved in, giving only the barest of glimpses over the top of the inside of the secondary silo. A low growl vibrated in his throat, only to pause when he heard the shuffle of Combine boots from the other side of the rubble. Glancing to the two doorways, he saw only the one on the left was open, and ducked inside.

He waited for the second soldier to pass before swinging the crowbar through his legs, flipping him onto his back and sending his shotgun sailing into the air. Dropping the crowbar for the moment, Gordon snatched it up.

"Thank you," he said quickly, firing at the soldier in front and catching him through the head in mid-turn.

A metal scrape made him turn to face the other soldier, who was now swinging his own crowbar down on him. Gordon held the shotgun up to block the blow. As they struggled, he stared up at the soldier's blank orange lenses in outrage. His crowbar. The soldier was attacking him with _his _crowbar.

This would not stand.

With a surge of energy, Gordon swung the shotgun to the left, slamming the crowbar into the wall. He followed it up with a kick to the belly that sent the soldier stumbling back a couple of steps, giving Gordon the time to cock the shotgun and fire it. He picked up the crowbar from the dead soldier, mouth wrinkled in distaste. He didn't care who you were. Never touch another man's crowbar.

That bit of unpleasant business taken care of, Gordon took to clambering over the debris, stumbling down into the missile silo as a quickly infuriating voice blasted out at him.

"_Freeman! Freeman, have you heard a word I've been saying? It's up to you to seal the launch doors!" _

"I'm doing it!" he shouted to no-one. Peering up the silo, he saw several walkways that formed rings around the cylindrical shape. Ladders led from one walkway to the next until they got to the top. Sunlight poured in from the open launch doors, reflecting off the water just below the walkway Gordon was standing on. The silo must have flooded.

The shadow of a dropship loomed over head, and Gordon moved quickly, heading for the ladder closest to him. It reminded him of the rocket test chamber at Black Mesa. Minus the three headed monster, obviously.

Gunshots chipped against the wall above his head.

Although whether the Combine soldiers were deadlier was up for debate.

Taking cover behind a pillar, Gordon managed to take out two of the soldiers on the top floor that were attacking him. He couldn't see any others higher up, but the shotgun wouldn't be of much use against them at this distance anyway.

Reaching the top with only a few bullet bruises to show for it, Gordon was greeted by a burst of incredibly painful bullets in the back, hurling him to the floor. He skid along for a moment before rolling away, his back burning from every turn of his body. Reaching the safe haven of a tone pillar, Gordon hissed as he straightened up. Peering around, he was quickly dissuaded by the blinding spotlight and surge of high powered bullets from a mounted machinegun. From what his brief glance could tell, they had set up in the observation booth on the opposite side of the silo, the machinegun poking through the narrow window.

Which would mean him running for his life as he tried to reach a probably locked door. Great. He removed the Gravity Gun from his shoulders, requiring speed for this. Gordon crouched down behind the pillar, and launched himself out in a sprint before he lost his nerve. He curved around the pillar to the right, heading for the next. A blast of gunfire hit him in the side, sending him whirling and tumbling behind the pillar, his head smacking against the floor.

"Ow…" he moaned.

"_Is anyone still alive in there?"_

His head whipped up at the indignant voice. Gordon had the solution. Simply channel all of his anger with Magnusson into attacking. No-one would be able to survive that. Gordon would be able to take on a Strider barehanded with that kind of fuel. Launching to his feet, Gordon sprinted out into the open again with a near-insane battle cry, running straight for the machinegun with shotgun cocked.

A burst of gunfire hit him in the ribs, but wasn't enough to stop him diving through the hole that had been smashed through the window to make room for the gun. He barrelled shoulder first into the soldier, both of them crashing to the ground in a heap. Gordon smashed the shotgun across the soldier's helmet, shattering his blue lenses across the floor. This disoriented him long enough for Gordon to spring back, climbing to his feet and firing a blast through the soldier's head.

Dropping the weapon, Gordon turned on the spot to inspect the controls. There were three main levers that attracted his attention. Two were locked upwards with a red light beside each one. The lever in the middle, however, was pulled down, and the light green. Gunshots from the soldiers above the silo doors chipping away at the glass and cement protecting him, Gordon thrust the lever forward. With a low groan, the door slowly began to close.

Peering up through some of the undamaged glass, Gordon saw the recognisable shape of an Advisor, floating above the soldiers. A flash of red made Gordon stumble back, clutching his head as he collapsed to the floor. The silo doors closed, and the alarms disappeared, fading along with Gordon's Advisor induced headache.

"_This is Dr Magnusson," _the elder scientist said calmly and eloquently,_ "and I am pleased to announce the secondary silo has been sealed."_ He sighed."_Well, back to work!"_

The transmission cut out, and Gordon slapped a hand down on his knee, pushing himself back to his feet. Clambering out through the window, he realised he had left the shotgun behind, but didn't particularly care. He noted three figures on the other side of the circular chasm, peering down into the silo. They had emerged from an open metal hatch on the wall behind them, from what looked like another of the diagonal elevator shafts. Gordon slowly made his way around, holding his sore ribs while he waited for the HEV suit to do its work. It was Alyx and Uriah, joined by a rebel Gordon hadn't met before.

When she saw him, Alyx broke out in a relieved smile, slipping her pistol away. "Gordon. Thank goodness you're okay."

Unsure of that last statement, Gordon tilted his head a little. "Glad that's over," he grunted, reaching down for the Gravity Gun he had left beside the pillar.

Alyx did it for him, gently lifting the Gravity Gun over his head. She left her hands on his shoulders for a little too long before letting them drop limply to her sides. "We couldn't get in until you sealed off the silo and the blast doors opened up."

"Regrettably true," Uriah sighed.

"I'd better let my dad know you're all right," Alyx said, walking to a keypad beside the open elevator shaft door. She tapped a few buttons before speaking. "Dad?"

It suddenly struck Gordon how strange it was to try to contact someone and have them answer straight away. So much had been a struggle for him in the past few days, it was strange to be around technology that worked and didn't short out when you pressed a button.

"_Yes, Alyx, is everything okay?" _Eli said quickly._ "Is Gordon all right?"_

A goofy grin Gordon didn't care about crossed his face as the morphine from the suit finally hit, his shoulders drooping.

"Yes, he's fine," Alyx deadpanned, smiling and shaking her head. "And thanks to him, the base is secure."

Gordon couldn't help but notice that she was really pretty. He sighed. Thanks, morphine.

"_Good, good," _Eli said, sounding distracted._ "We're about to watch the transmission from Judith."_

Her expression becoming far more tense, Alyx lifted a hand to the pad to end the transmission. "We'll head right over."

"If you would take the Freeman from here," Uriah cut in, hands clasped together reverently, "I can return to my place of honour at the side of the Magnusson."

Alyx nodded, glancing back at Gordon like she was concerned for his sanity. "Sure thing. Thanks for the help." She turned to Gordon, and waved for him to follow as she walked up the elevator-less elevator shaft.

Gordon did so, the exertion of stretching his legs up the ramp speeding up the departure of the dizzying morphine.

"Your head out of the clouds yet?" Alyx asked with no small amount of amusement.

"Uh…" he frowned, and shook his head. Blinking, he focused on her, and found he could without his mind drifting off on random tangents. "Yeah, sure. Did they tell you anything about where Judith is?"

Lips thinning as they passed through the doorway and into the bright corridors beyond, Alyx shook her head. "Dr Kleiner told me that Judith headed north in a helicopter right after they got here, but he wouldn't tell me why."

She led him to a metal hatch at the end of the corridor, which opened for them almost magically. Dr Kleiner waited for them on the other side, and nodded politely before returning to the screens on the other side of the room. Mossman's message filtered through as Gordon walked with Alyx, both of them taking up positions on either side of Eli.

He realised that he was standing on an old rug, ornate and spreading out across the room. A sofa on his right looked familiar, and he noticed the window on the left that looked out into a corridor. This was the sofa he had previously seen the two rebels, uh… conversing on. On the left of the sofa was a corridor going off to the right, leading who knows where. On the right was a table littered with stacked books and paper, a readout machine on the right-hand corner buzzing and scraping out jagged lines. Shelves on the wall above the table were pretty bare, making the photo of Eli and his family stand out all the more. It must have been rescued from Black Mesa East.

Kleiner worked on one of the control panels lining the walls beneath the grid of nine television screens hanging from the ceiling. Mossman's face was spread out between them, only the bottom left screen consumed by static.

_"I'm fairly sure I've pinned down the location of the project. It's hard to say how much of it might have survived intact, or if there's anything remaining that could compromise our work, if it were discovered by the Combine. We'll need to take a close look at it, of course, but I should be able to give you a better opinion in a few hours. If the site is where we think it is, then it should be no more than-"_

Gordon expected the dull explosion this time, and Mossman looked off to the side in surprise.

"_I'm going to cut this short, we may have been spotted."_

Eli's face was painful to behold, and Gordon considered reaching out to comfort him when the camera was knocked over, revealing the Hunter that ended the transmission. The elder scientist hobbled away from both Gordon and Alyx, fists clenched tightly at his sides.

"I should _never_ have let her go."

"There was no stopping her, Eli," Kleiner sighed, suddenly distracted by something else on the control panel in front of him." Wait a moment... there's something else here."

The picture on the screens flickered uncertainly for a few moments before coalescing into a view of… a snowstorm? Judith was in arctic conditions. Was she showing them her location? Gordon struggled to discern what was up there, and shuffled his feet about to get a better look.

Colour filtered through the white of the blizzard onscreen. He could make out shipping containers within the blizzard. And then something more revealed itself. The hull of a ship, and a circular logo Gordon hadn't seen in twenty years. Or about a week, depending on how one measured his timeline.

Aperture Science. Black Mesa's on-again-off-again rival. They originally manufactured shower curtain rings before becoming a research institution and a pretty bitter rival of Black Mesa. Most of their experiments and discoveries were either failures or too dangerous to even contemplate usage in the real world. Not that Black Mesa could talk. But the Borealis… the Borealis was the stuff of legend. Blueprints flashed across the screen, filled with numbers. And suddenly, Gordon felt an excitement like no other. He felt like a scientist again.

Dr Kleiner was equally excited, agape at the display above them. "It's… the Borealis!"

"Good God," Eli gasped, sounding like his chest was seizing up on him.

"Incredible!" Kleiner enthused, waving his fists about in the air.

"What?" Alyx breathed, looking between them slack-jawed. "The Borealis, it's _real_?"

"Oh yes, quite real, despite its almost legendary stature," Dr Kleiner nodded, adjusting his glasses to talk to her. "Our… peers at Aperture Science were at work on a project of some promise, but in their rush to beat Black Mesa for funding, they must have compromised ordinary standards of risk." He ducked his head down like a child telling scary stories. "We heard their research vessel had simply disappeared. Vanished! With all hands! And even part of the dry dock!" Shaking his head, Kleiner turned to face the screen. "Few believed the Borealis would ever be seen again…"

Eli, however, was having none of it. "It should have been lost forever."

"Ah," his peer said, still marvelling at the Borealis, "but now that we've found it, we can use it against the Combine!"

Excited and curious, Alyx looked to Dr Kleiner thoughtfully. "Did you ever-"

"_Use_ it?" Eli repeated, his stunned gaze firmly on Kleiner. "That thing has to be destroyed!"

Unbridled optimism spilled out of Kleiner as he gestured to the screen. "But think of the advantage for humanity! We can't simply waste all that potential!"

Eli's voice rose as he stormed over to the older scientist, grabbing him by the shoulders. "Hasn't Black Mesa taught you anything? There's no controlling that kind of power!"

Both Gordon and Alyx moved forward, exchanging an unsure look. Alyx's hands were up in front of her helplessly, ready to calm any argument that could erupt.

"Well, yes, there's always a risk, Eli," the older scientist admitted quietly, though clearly not hearing Eli's words. "But my goodness, we have co-ordinates, blueprints, hailing frequencies! Quite ingenious of Dr Mossman to hide it all in the carrier wave…"

A penny dropped in Eli's eyes, and his hands dropped from Kleiner's shoulders, whipping to the ship on the monitors. "Well, that means she's still alive up there!" His face dropped abruptly, staring off into space in horror. "But if the Combine catch her… they'll tear out everything she knows. There'll be nothing left of her."

Struggling for words, Kleiner reached out a reasoning hand to Eli. "But… we don't know for sure-"

"I won't take that chance," he affirmed, pointing an authoritative finger to the ground. His gaze hit the floor for a moment as he thought. Then he started walking toward the exit, stating simply, "I'm going after her."

Worry lining her smooth features, Alyx stared at her father in disbelief. "Dad!"

Gordon stepped over, moving into Eli's way. A challenging glare almost made him falter, but Gordon held his gaze. "Eli. Think about it."

Anger seemed to rise in those deep brown eyes before settling back down again, and Eli sighed through his nose, his previous defiance replaced by sadness and resignation.

Tentatively stepping forward, Dr Kleiner held up his hands as though hesitant to even touch his friend. "Now, Eli, the only thing worse than Judith falling into their hands would be if they should get a hold of you! She may know the particulars of the Borealis, but you… you know _everything_ about the resistance!"

Nodding, Alyx manoeuvred her way around to Eli's side, gently taking his hand in hers. "_Listen_ to Dr Kleiner, dad. Gordon and I are more than able to handle this," she said, glancing at Gordon, who gave her a confirming nod. She returned her solid gaze to Eli, whose gaze was firmly concentrated on some void in the distance. "We'll get her back."

Magnusson's sudden bellow over the announcement system made everyone but Eli blink out of the silence that followed.

"_Kleiner? Where are you? Why isn't the decoding finished?"_

"Oh fie. The code," Kleiner said quickly, before tilting his head up. "Yes, Magnusson. It just needs a little bit longer."

"_If you're waiting for the Combine's go-ahead, there'll soon be here to give it to you in person!"_

"I'll hurry it along, Magnusson," he sighed. Adjusting his glasses, he looked to Alyx and Gordon, trying to catch Eli's eye but failing. "I'll be back as soon as I finish."

They were all silent as Dr Kleiner left the room, Gordon and Alyx watching Eli with no small amount of concern as he pressed two fingers to his temple, slowly shaking his head. The transmission showing the Borealis had ended, replaced by fizzling white static that silhouetted both Alyx and Eli.

"Dad, are you okay?" she asked softly, hands clutched together as she watched her father cross to the table on the other side of the room.

"Not again," Eli chanted quietly to himself, resting forward on the table. "I can't let it happen again. Not another Black Mesa…"

Gordon wished there was something more he could do, wished that he was good with words in any capacity. The sadness in Alyx's voice was difficult to stand. Suddenly, a low hum echoed through the room, and initially, Gordon thought it was feedback from the announcement system. Alyx seemed to notice it, too, putting a troubled hand to her head.

Then Gordon saw Him, like a ghost, imprinted on the screens. Staring out at them, briefcase in hand. And then, just as abruptly, He was gone, taking the low hum with Him. Alyx's head slowly rose, and she walked past Gordon and to her father.

Eyes on the screen, Gordon pointed. "Did you see…" The words died in his throat when he saw Alyx's eyes, blank and lifeless.

"Dad," she said, her voice flat. Eli turned to face her, and she continued. "Prepare for unforeseen consequences."

Eli's skin turned several shades paler, his eyes wide as he stared at Alyx, who was clutching her head uncomfortably, as though waking up. "What did you say?" he breathed, a wave of dizziness forcing his good leg out from under him.

"Dad!" Alyx cried, grabbing Eli even as Gordon rushed forward to help. "Dad, it's okay. Just lean into me." She practically had to force his arm over her shoulders; he almost seemed catatonic. Slowly, she guided him over to the sofa and lowered him down onto it. "Let's get you off your feet."

Gordon was still trying to process what had just happened. Unforeseen consequences. That was what He had told her to say. And yet… she didn't seem to be in control of her own body, so… she didn't know about Him. But what was so important about unforeseen consequences? And what did it mean to Eli that he would react like _that_?

Said elder scientist was putting on an unconvincing smile for his daughter, waving her concern away. "Thank you baby. I'll be fine in a minute or two."

It didn't really work. "Okay…" Alyx was wringing her hands now. "Do you need anything?"

Eli's eyes flickered over to Gordon almost imperceptibly before he raised his eyebrows at Alyx hopefully. "Actually, Alyx… would you… would you mind getting me a cup of tea? There's a hot plate in the old staff room," he said, pointing a thumb to the corridor behind them that Gordon had spied earlier.

Happy to be helping but clearly worried sick, Alyx smiled and nodded. "I'll be right back." She tilted her head towards Gordon, keeping her voice low. "Gordon… keep an eye on him?"

"We're not going anywhere," Eli said loudly, hammering home that he wasn't so old that his hearing was failing him. "Thank you, baby."

They both watched her go, and Gordon even followed a little to make sure she closed the door behind her. Slowly, eyes on Eli, Gordon walked back into the room, unsure of where to stand or what to do. He was looking at a man he had considered his friend and mentor with a newfound suspicion.

"So," he ventured. "Unforeseen consequences."

A heaviness descended on Eli, and he rubbed his eyes with his thumb and forefinger. "Unforeseen consequences… the last time I heard those words was back at Black Mesa. You had just stepped into the test chamber when he whispered them in my ear." He looked up at Gordon, fixing him with a stare that made his stomach drop. "You _know_ who I'm talking about. Our mutual 'friend'."

All breath left Gordon as he watched Eli heave himself up from the sofa, moving to the table and leaning against it. His throat was dry. His eardrums pounded. He felt like he was falling, that he could throw up. He needed to hold onto something, and staggered as casually as he could to the armrest of the sofa, unable to do anything but listen as Eli continued to talk and reshape his world.

"When he brought in that crystal, I knew I…" Eli trailed off, his eyes moving up to the cracked family portrait on the shelf.

Gordon just stared at him. "You knew?" he managed, voice trembling with rage and panic and confusion. "All this time, and you _knew? You knew what would happen?" _Bowing his head to combat the wave of dizziness that flooded over him, Gordon rubbed a hand over the back of his neck. "All this time… I thought it was my fault…"

"I know. And…"

Slowly raising his head, Gordon found Eli looking right at him, eyes tired and so very sad.

"…I'm sorry, Gordon. I should have aborted that damn test," Eli said, his voice thick. There was no attempt at defence. No recriminations. He knew what he had done. "But… I didn't. The whole world went to hell that day. And now…" Delicately, Eli reached out and lifted the picture from the shelf, tracing Alyx's face with his finger. "…_now_ he's using my little girl. Putting words in her mouth."

Eli's voice was shaking now, and he took a deep breath. Forcing a strength he didn't feel he had, Gordon pushed down on his knees, getting to his feet to join Eli at the table.

"God… _damn_ it," Eli gasped quietly, closing his eyes to shut off the tears that were welling there. He stared down at Alyx's smiling young face. "I should have known when he rescued her it was for his own damn reasons."

Ducking his head, Gordon watched agape as Eli put the picture on the shelf. "You knew about Alyx, too?" he breathed.

Head bowed in either shame or fatigue, Eli slowly nodded.

"W… does anybody else know about him?"

"No. It's just us," he sighed, turning to face him and putting his hands on Gordon's shoulders. "Gordon… there's so much I need to tell you." A familiar determination knotting his forehead, Eli slammed a fist into his palm, giving Gordon the smallest anchor in this whirlwind of insanity. "Between us we may finally have a chance to-"

"Here you go," Alyx said as she emerged from the kitchen. For the first time in his life, Gordon wasn't happy to see her. Eli's face transformed before Gordon's eyes, becoming the kind father figure again. He moved around Gordon and lowered himself into the sofa, where Alyx joined him, her hands wrapped around a steaming mug of tea.

Numb, Gordon's eyes followed the limping scientist as he went. So much made sense now. Eli, back at Black Mesa East, telling him that the resonance cascade wasn't his fault, asking him how much he had been told about City 17, about the world… his disbelief that Alyx had found him in the wreckage of the Citadel… and earlier, when Breen had spoken about his contract. Eli's face…

Smiling and frowning at the same time, Alyx glanced between Eli and Gordon as she handed over the tea. "Is… everything all right?"

"It's nothing, honey," Eli said quietly, with a pleasant smile and a wave of the hand that made Gordon realise just how good the man was at hiding the truth.

A slew of emotions tightened in Gordon's gut, and he rubbed a hand on the back of his neck, eventually clenching it into a helpless, angry fist. What else could he do? Eli was the only one with the answers he needed. It would be so easy to press him for answers, to force them out of him.

But then he saw Alyx, her deep eyes full of concern and love for her father. Eli must be hiding these things from her for a reason, probably to protect her from Him. But she was already His pawn. Surely she deserved to know?

The door to the room clanged open, and Magnusson strode in, all vigour and purpose. "All right people, change of plans. There is no way we can launch before those Striders are-" He stopped himself when he saw Alyx and Eli on the sofa, and scowled. "Oh, excuse me if I'm interrupting tea time. I'll just step out until you're finished if that's more convenient."

Alyx seemed ready to pounce from the sofa when Eli put a calming hand on hers.

"It's all right, honey," he soothed, and her shoulders visibly relaxed.

"Well, Freeman," Magnusson announced, as though Gordon should be honoured he was talking to him. "I believe I've found the perfect use for you."

He whipped his head up to glare at the elder scientist, his jaw set and eyes reddened.

Magnusson seemed a little taken aback by the intensity, but quickly recovered, turning to the exit and summoning him with a wave of his hand. "Follow me, quickly."

Feeling even more helpless than before, Gordon watched Magnusson go and then looked back to Eli.

Glancing over at Alyx unsurely, Eli smiled up at him, trying to look reassuring. "We'll talk later, Gordon."

His face frozen and staring at Eli, Gordon glanced over to Alyx, clueless and innocent to everything that was silently happening in this room. "I'll hold you to that," he muttered, his lips barely moving.

"I'll catch up with you in a bit," Alyx said.

Gordon smiled and nodded before he strode out of the room, his reaction far more terse than she deserved. He needed to get outside. This place was making him feel closed in, he couldn't breathe. He'd never been claustrophobic before, but the thoughts that were swirling around his mind, the motions churning within him were almost suffocating. He needed some space.

Magnusson, ignorant to his need (not that he would care anyway) was waiting at another hatch on the right wall of the corridor. Trying to shake himself out of it and return to what passed for normal for him nowadays, Gordon stopped beside Magnusson and raised a questioning eyebrow.

He took a breath like he was getting ready to deliver a rehearsed speech. "Freeman, Striders are coming. A single one of those damn things could shoot down our rocket." He tapped away on a keypad beside the door, and it opened noisily. "We don't dare launch until all Striders are destroyed," he said, leading him through the doorway and into the room beyond.

There was a hatch on the wall opposite, and another on the right-hand wall. A whiteboard beside the keypad for the right-hand door had a rudimentary sketch of a Strider scribbled onto it, with a dotted line arching up from the ground before landing on the creature's head. Magnusson continued talking, and Gordon blinked himself away from the drawing to listen.

"Now, you've proved yourself capable, and the staff seem to respect you," he said offhandedly, conveniently avoiding eye contact as he spoke. "Therefore," he announced, taking a breath, "I'm putting defence of White Forest - and this ingenious new weapon of mine - in your hands."

He walked over to the left-hand side of the room, where an open corridor was closed off by a fence. A group of civilians were gathered inside, sat around on too many crates for Gordon to count. On the right-hand side of the room glowed a strange tower of a device, a couple of heads taller than him. The middle section of the red and grey device was missing. A crackling blue energy fizzled in the gap, connected to the top and bottom.

Magnusson, meanwhile, was gesturing to a large display case on the right-hand side of the corridor entrance. A device about the size of a basketball rested inside, though two grey metal pads on either side made it look like it was wearing huge headphones. The central white ball of the device had metal slats cutting across its surface, allowing a view of the blue energy that flickered inside.

"We call it the Magnusson device," he said proudly, tipping up on his heels with a smile. "Not my chosen label, you understand-"

"No, course not," Gordon mumbled.

The comment made Magnusson pause for a moment, and he gave Gordon an irritated sideways look. "…but it seemed to please the personnel." He whirled on the spot, banging against the fence with his fist. "Look lively in there! Warm up the delivery port!"

"Ya vol," one of the civilians grunted back. He leapt to his feet, marching over to the Magnusson device with a saluting arm held up in the air. Once he reached the device, however, the impression disappeared, and the man pressed a button beneath the blue glowing core of the delivery port.

Gordon tried to hold back his amusement as Magnusson excitedly talked about his new weapon. "Now, what it is, is a sort of sticky bomb, although cleverer than that makes it sound. From your point of view, you merely pitch the device at the Strider's hull, then blow it up."

"Ah," Gordon mumbled, now understanding what the diagram on the wall was about.

"I've struggled with a mechanism for launching the device, but…" Magnusson stopped to make a grumbling noise, as though the next few words hurt to say. "Well, your Zero Point Energy Field Manipulator clears up that little problem. Follow me and we'll let you get in some practice while we still have time."

Cricking his neck like the admission had injured him, Magnusson walked to the hatch on Gordon's right. He tapped speedily on the keypad beside the hatch, and it slid open with a groan. It led outside to a small patch of grass between buildings, a stairway on the right leading to another hatch. Tucked beside the steps in the right corner closest to Gordon was a green ammo crate, two handguns resting upon it. One of the Magnusson delivery ports was against the wall opposite, where Uriah waited for them. And on the left…

Gordon physically leapt into the air, backing away from the Strider towering over them.

"Don't be alarmed, Freeman," Magnusson said tiredly as he crossed in front of him, heading for the delivery port. "This Strider's days of impaling your friends are a thing of the past."

Studying the creature in more detail, Gordon realised the Strider was being held up by a rickety wooden frame. The frame was attached to a platform that seemed to be on a rail that extended far out in front of Gordon. Letting out a breath, he returned his attention to Magnusson, who was pointing to the delivery port.

"Now, out in the field, we'll supply you with all the Magnusson devices you'll need through delivery ports like this one."

He pressed a button, and two metal bars that were previously tucked behind the blue core began to spin, quickly gathering speed until they were nothing but a grey blur. A high pitched whine culminated in a miniature version of the effect Strider cannons had when they were about to fire; light pulling towards the device as it shone a brighter and brighter white. Finally, with a flash, a Magnusson device was suddenly sitting amid the swirling blue energy.

Uriah gestured to the device as Gordon peered down at it curiously. "For the safety of the base, these devices are deactivated. They cannot explode like those you will find in the field."

"Go ahead and take the device out of the dispenser," Magnusson urged impatiently.

Gordon glanced up at him with a look he hoped said 'don't rush me' before backing up, Gravity Gun drawn. He pulled the Magnusson device to him, and couldn't help but raise his eyebrows in worry at the smoke that fizzled from the blue core within. The delivery port activated almost instantaneously, quickly replenishing with a new Magnusson device. That would come in handy.

"That's right," Magnusson said, pleased. "Now toss it at the main body of the Strider."

He did so, the device leaving a trail of brilliant blue behind it as it arced through the air, and Gordon winced as it looked like it was going to miss by inches. That seemed close enough for the device to work, however, and it yanked itself to the Strider, attaching to the hull with a mechanical whine. It made an ascending, high pitched noise like a small generator charging, yellow light flashing out.

Smiling, Magnusson nodded, his eyes locked on the device. "Good. Now take out the firearm of your choice and shoot the device."

Reaching for his revolver, Gordon reconsidered at the last moment, realising that his ammunition would run out pretty quickly if there were as many Striders as Magnusson was implying. He went back to the ammo crate, swapping his revolver for a fully loaded USP pistol. Held in one hand, he aimed the weapon and fired, hitting the Magnusson device with his second bullet.

The device exploded with a negative beep, shattering into a cloud of neon blues and yellows. The Strider was unaffected, and Gordon couldn't help but wonder what the effect would be on the live equivalents.

"There you go," Magnusson said quickly, hands behind his back. "Not too difficult at this range, is it? Gets a bit harder when it's moving about and firing at you, of course. But still… magnificent device, isn't it?"

Looking over, Gordon saw that Magnusson was admiring the device that now rested in the delivery port. Glancing over at Uriah, he saw the Vort close his eye and shake his head in a 'I know it's weird, don't say anything' gesture. Nodding, Gordon cleared his throat, and Magnusson sprang up again.

"Had enough?"

Gordon looked back at the Strider, then shrugged. "Enough of practicing."

Nodding, Magnusson led him up the steps and to the hatch at the top. "Your car is fuelled and ready to go. Now, every building in the valley has its own dispenser port, so you'll have an ample supply of explosives." Stopping at the keypad, Magnusson puffed out his chest. "Now _I_ must get back to my rocket, Freeman. I'm relying on you not to squander my trust… or my Magnussons."

He made it sound like the Magnussons were more important.

Rather than say anything, Gordon just offered a mute, solemn nod.

Apparently satisfied by this silent vow, Magnusson turned to the keypad, only for his finger to whip back from the buttons as he looked back at him. "Oh, and Freeman, if you pull this off, I might just forgive you for that debacle at Black Mesa." Head bowed, he peered up at Gordon ominously. "You know the one I mean."

Gordon scowled incredulously. Really? He was still holding a grudge about that, after all this time? It wasn't even his fault. Other people certainly had a hand in it.

"Involving a certain microwave casserole," Magnusson finished, his voice a low growl.

He sighed, stepping through. "Wasn't even my fault…"

Stupid Barney telling him it was his stupid casserole and that he didn't stupid want it anymore and that he should turn up the heat on the stupid microwave…

"Hey, Doctor Freeman, over here."

Blinking, Gordon realised he was in the tunnel that had been his first glimpse of White Forest. The fence beside the surveillance television screens was still closed, the other side leading down another tunnel and to an open door at the end, which in turn led outside.

Sam was waving him over from beside his car, which was facing the open fence. Gordon felt an absurd amount of joy upon seeing the vehicle, walking over and running his hand over the yellow trunk.

"I've taken a few liberties with your car," Sam said cheerfully, and Gordon froze, unsure if he liked the sound of that. Not that _he_ would have been able to do anything to it, but still… it was his car. People shouldn't just go… adding things to it, surely.

"Like what?" he said slowly, cautiously.

The rebel grinned, and leant forward over the back of the car, pointing to the rear bumper. "Check it out. I added a rack for Magnusson devices back here."

Backing up, Gordon saw two metal hooks extending out from the bumper, close enough together so the 'headphones' of the Magnusson device would rest on it quite comfortably.

"I also added an onboard radar," Sam continued, moving to the passenger side of the car. Gordon moved to the other, leaning on the chair to better see what Sam was pointing to. He had attached a screen to the dashboard. It was a green grid, several thick concentric circles moving out from the middle, giving it the appearance of a radar. "The Combine will show up red on the dashboard unit, _plus_, it'll send a homing signal to your HEV suit in case you get separated from your car."

"Oh," Gordon managed. "Sounds good."

"No need to thank me," Sam joked, waving a hand through the air. He nodded to something behind Gordon, backing up out of the car and standing to full height. "Now, check this map."

Turning around, Gordon saw a large diagram tucked into the corner of the room, next to the controls for the gate. The green paths resembled a cowboy's lasso, though thicker, and splitting off at the top in three directions. Three grey wavy patches were in the middle of the lasso, which Gordon took to be landmasses - hills, mountains, that sort of thing.

Vague diagrams had been printed at different points on the map, with scribbled notes in red pen on a few of them. Two cranes were printed on either side of the leftmost tendril coming from the top of the lasso. At the middle of the upper section of the lasso was a saw, 'Sawmill' scribbled and underlined in red pen beneath it. A water tower was on the far right of the green path, and two large warehouses were closer to the bottom.

Two smaller houses had been printed even further below, just before an image of a radio tower with a rocket beside it that grew from the bottom of the map. Just next to the image was the word 'Base', circled with a trail leading off the border of the map to the words 'you are here'.

Sam pointed to the words. "We're right here at the south end of the valley. Rest of the gang's up by the old sawmill here," he said, pointing a finger at the image of a saw. "Head on up there, and they'll fill you in on the battle plan." Arms folded, he nodded to the monitors behind him, and Gordon also noticed the radio equipment on the table beneath them. "I'll be staying here to watch the field and send status updates."

Gordon nodded, taking in the map, the monitors, and the car. He smiled at Sam. "Thanks."

"No problem. All that 'One Free Man' stuff aside, Alyx seems to like you, and any friend of hers is a friend of mine."

It was pleasant to find someone who was judging him on something _other _than the fact that his name was Freeman. Made a nice change from messianic worship and dying without question in his name.

Gordon held out a hand, and Sam took it. "It's been good meeting you, Sam."

"Pleasure's all mine," he said, smiling and waving the sentiment away. He pressed a button on the gate controls, and it slid aside with the slightest of rattles. "Good luck out there."

Taking a breath, Gordon checked he had everything he needed. Crowbar, check. Pistol, check. Gravity Gun, check, check. Suspecting he would need to use it pretty swiftly, Gordon just let it dangle beside him out the side of the car instead of looping the strap over the back of the seat. He didn't need blowing up by a Strider because he was having some awkward tug of war with a leather strap.

He started the car, and revved the engine therapeutically. After one last grateful nod at Sam, Gordon punched it, the car roaring through the tunnel and out into the open air once more. He was in a holding area, another rebel beside a gate that would release him into the battleground.

"You'll find the sawmill at the far end of the valley!" the rebel shouted, pointing a finger in the general direction of the sloping area behind him.

Trying to remember the map Sam had shown him, Gordon set off into the valley. He remembered the sawmill being more or less straight on from the base, and went in that general direction.

"_Perimeter's clear," _Sam announced, voice fizzling with static and echoing incessantly within the valley from the speakers mounted all over the place._ "Still no sign of incursion. Keep alert."_

After passing a small shack on the left and mounting the slope ahead, Gordon headed through a small canyon. It brought him out at what he assumed was the saw mill. Neatly cut logs were stacked and strapped to the wooden platform that made up almost the entire mill. Half a dozen or so rebels were gathered on the ground next to the steps that led up to the platform, listening intently to a rebel pointing to a map. A Magnusson dispenser port waited for him just next to the steps.

Gordon pulled up beside them and hopped out of the car, leaving the engine running. He nodded to the rebels gathered around the map. The man whom Gordon presumed was the leader of the group grinned.

"So, they've sent Freeman, have they? Good man," he said emphatically, his voice almost a parody of grizzled. He pointed to the top of the map. "We've got Striders coming in just north of us. Our job is to keep them from reaching our base to the south. If they get close enough for one good shot at the silo, the whole launch is a bust. And in case Striders aren't bad enough, recon indicates they're being escorted by packs of Hunters."

Frowning, Gordon looked around the battlefield, and raised a hand. "Can I just ask… where's Dog?"

"Guarding the other entrances," the rebel said quickly, looking eager to move on. "Some of those Striders I talked about are circling around, coming at us from different directions. Now, what I want you to do-"

The radar in Gordon's car beeped, quickly followed by Sam's urgent tones.

"_Attention! Perimeter breach! We have a Strider approaching from the cranes!"_

Gordon's gaze whipped back to the rebel leader, who just jabbed a finger to the canyon on the left. "_GO!"_

Not needing to be told twice, Gordon used the Gravity Gun to snatch the Magnusson device resting in the dispenser port and brought it around to the back of the car. It slid snugly onto the hooks, and Gordon ran into the rumbling driver's seat. With a powerful series of pulls and shifts, Gordon got the car ready and roared off towards the canyon, following the red blobs on the radar until he could see the tip of the cranes over the top of the cliffside.

Emerging out into the open, Gordon saw two Hunters galloping out from the right, followed by a lumbering Strider, none of which were aware of him just yet. He lined up the car with the two Hunters and hit the turbo. The first remained unaware of him until he had mowed it down, the second turning towards him in time to be crushed by the front bumper of the car. In the time it took him to do this, the Strider had lumbered past him, heading in the direction of the base. Gordon moved the car a little closer, being sure not to get in front of the Strider where it could see him.

He leapt out of the car and ran to the back, pulling the Magnusson to him with the Gravity Gun. Whirling on the spot, he brought it up, aiming for the Strider's head. He shrugged. Here went nothing.

Gordon pulled the trigger, the Magnusson arcing through the air before attaching to the hull of the Strider with a magnificent screech. Dropping the Gravity Gun, Gordon whipped out the USP and took aim, hitting the Magnusson with the first shot. The Strider seemed to burst, the separate segments of its shells flying in all directions and the legs tumbling down like collapsing trees. A shower of grey liquid hit the ground ahead of Gordon, and he sighed when he realised that it was only a matter of time before he would be drenched in the stuff.

Another bleep from the radar, accompanied by Sam. _"We've got another Strider coming in from the sawmill!"_

He leapt back in the car, driving as quickly as he could around the canyon and toward the wooden building. In his haste to get out and grab a Magnusson device from the dispenser port, Gordon almost fell out of the car while it was still moving. Glancing over as he moved to place it on the rack on the back of the car, Gordon saw the Strider approach. It was charging its main weapon, light bending and pulling towards the glowing tip. Helplessly, Gordon tilted the Gravity Gun up and fired the Magnusson up through the air.

A familiar sound blasted through the air, and Gordon saw a hail of darts from a Hunter slice through the Magnusson, demolishing it before it had got even remotely close to the Strider.

Gordon clenched his jaw. "Oh, really?"

The Strider fired, and the sawmill exploded, blasting a cloud of dust and splinters over Gordon as he leapt across the back of the car, trying to find cover. His ears ringing but no worse for wear, Gordon clambered to his feet, squinting through the beige cloud.

"My God, the sawmill!" a rebel gasped. "Is _nothing _sacred?"

Sighing in frustration, Gordon also noticed that the dispenser port had been destroyed by the blast. Which meant no Magnussons right now. The other rebels, meanwhile, were busy firing uselessly on the Strider. It ignored them, lumbering towards the narrow canyon Gordon had initially travelled up to get to the sawmill. The Hunter accompanying the Strider slammed into the rebels, tossing them like rag dolls across the field, some skidding along while others collided painfully with walls or trees.

Gordon swung the Gravity Gun around, spotting a chunk of log that had been thrown free by the blast. He sucked it towards him before swinging it in the direction of the Hunter, now playing with the limp body of a rebel.

"Hey!"

It looked up at him and got a face-full of log, cracking its smooth dark surface and sending it rolling around on its back. Back on its feet in a moment, it was greeted by a second blast from the same log, this one killing it with a loud wail. Nodding to himself, Gordon ducked back into the car, heading towards the water tower and around the mass of rock and mud that made up the canyon the Strider was now coming through.

Following the road around, he passed a large water tower that was based in a deep canyon on his left. Continuing on, he came to an old wooden house, the weak, faded look of the wood belying just how big it was. The opening of the canyon was almost directly opposite the house, if just a little bit further on. He could hear the Strider's thumping feet as he approached.

A medic waved him over from beside a doorway at the far corner of the house. "Magnussons in here, Freeman!"

Sounded good to Gordon. He pulled up just in front of the rebel, who looked at the car appreciatively. "Sweet ride!"

"Yeah, thanks," he muttered, launching himself from the car and through the doorway. It was a storeroom, shelves on the right full of medical supplies and ammunition. A dispenser device was on the left of the shelves, and Gordon yanked the smoking Magnusson to him. He ran outside in time to see the Strider emerging from the canyon, attention focused on the base in the distance. Gordon blasted the Magnusson over, pulling out the pistol while the device was still flying through the air. It barely had a chance to screech once it attached itself to the hull, and the Strider was in pieces within a few moments.

"Nice shot, Freeman!"

He blew out a relieved breath, cheeks puffing out as he bobbed his head to the side. Without a word, he went back inside the house and grabbed another Magnusson, latching it onto the back of the car.

The car's radar went off. He leapt into the driver's seat, checking the radar. One big blob of red, and two smaller blobs. A Strider, and two Hunters, behind him, coming in from-

"_Now they're coming in from the water tower!"_

Cricking his neck, Gordon tore the car around in the other direction, heading down the road he had just used. The Strider was still thumping up the slope from the water tower's canyon below, the two Hunters escorting it moving much more swiftly. One turned in time to see the car slamming into it, crashing over it unevenly. The other feinted to the right before leaping to the left, leaving Gordon on a collision course with a tree. Gordon quickly turned, the car colliding sidelong with the tree. His radar abruptly beeped.

"_We've got another Strider coming in from the cranes!"_

He groaned, exasperated, before leaping from the car to avoid the darts that lodged themselves in the leather seat of the car. Rolling, he brought himself up with Gravity Gun raised. The Strider lumbered past, heading down the road while the Hunter distracted Gordon. Growling in frustration, Gordon pulled a large boulder toward him, blocking another spray of darts. As he had with the Hunter in the base, Gordon waited until the darts were about to explode before firing the boulder back. The creature's wail faded into nothingness as the white energy burned it away.

Gordon bounced in the melted seat before doing the quickest three-point turn in history, skidding to a halt just behind the Strider. He scrambled out of the car. In a series of motions that were quickly becoming second nature, Gordon grabbed the Magnusson, fired it, and blasted it with the USP pistol.

The legs of the Strider were still tumbling as Gordon drove through, heading for the large house opposite the canyon opening.

"Hi," he said breathlessly to the medic, who watched him run into the house and emerge with a Magnusson in the space of a few seconds. Gordon leapt back into the car, seeing the Strider emerge from the other side of the valley. Standing up in his seat, he leant over the back of the car and pulled the Magnusson to him with the Gravity Gun. He let it drop in the seat beside him before slamming his foot down on the accelerator. He headed for the Strider, which was now side-on with him. Keeping his feet on the peddles, Gordon took his hand off the wheel and yanked the Magnusson up with the Gravity Gun, firing it straight up at the belly of the creature as the car sailed between its legs.

Grabbing onto the wheel, he turned the car until it came to an abrupt halt, leaping to his feet and pulling out the USP. It took only two shots to get it right, and the Strider exploded before it had even reached the slope leading down to the base. He collapsed back into the chair, pistol held limply in his hand.

"_Looks like that was the last one!" _Sam descended on the valley, except for the distant cheers and whoops of the rebels.

Gordon frowned, tilting his head up. Really? That was it? Not that that was particularly easy, but still… that was the end of the Combine's attack? Maybe Dog had more to deal with than they did.

"_Wait a minute," _Sam said suddenly.

Sighing, Gordon waved a tired hand in the air as he dropped back in his seat. "Of course…"

"_Get ready, everyone," _Sam announced, an element of tiredness in his voice._ "We've spotted more dropships carrying even more Striders. We have about a minute before they arrive, so gear up! This is gonna get ugly before it's over!"_

With his hands clasped on the wheel, Gordon bowed his head with an exhausted groan. Slamming the car into gear, he took it back to the large house guarded by the enthusiastic medic. He gathered a rocket launcher and a spare rocket from inside, wedging them between the passenger seat and the dashboard. Going back with the Gravity Gun, he fetched a Magnusson and took it back to the car, letting it cosily rest on the rack.

Gordon hopped into the still running car, waiting for the radar to sound off. Nothing happened. The medic slowly moved up beside him, nervously flexing his fingers along his MP7.

Adjusting his grip on the wheel, Gordon glanced over only to catch the medic's eye. He smiled politely and nodded, awkwardly returning his gaze to the grassy path ahead. Still nothing. Gordon actually found himself _wishing _for Striders. That would be easier than this. It wasn't like he could just drive away; there wasn't anywhere to go right now. But staying here was just… painful.

"So, uh…" the medic said slowly. "What's wearing glasses like?"

The radar beeped. A Strider at the sawmill. Thank _God._

"Sorry gotta go," he rushed, slamming the handbrake down and roaring toward the canyon that would take him to the sawmill. The radar beeped so quickly Gordon started to wonder if it was broken.

"_There's a Strider coming from the sawmill… and the cranes… and the water tower!"_

"Oh God, they're coming from everywhere!" the medic shrieked from behind him, matching Gordon's reaction.

Taking a breath, he calmed himself. This was just one more obstacle. One more task for hm to complete before he could get what he wanted. And what he wanted at the moment was to sit down and have a nice, long, one-on-one chat with Eli. Possibly over tea. God, he would love some tea right now. He shook the thought from his head as he approached the Strider coming down the narrow canyon at him, two Hunters crowded behind its legs.

Instead of even _trying _to stop, Gordon dove straight forward, swerving neatly through its legs before colliding with one of the Hunters, killing it on impact. Gordon skid to a halt, scrambling through the passenger seat and snatching up the rocket launcher as he went. The Hunter fired a barrage of darts, and Gordon dove to the floor, landing on his side with rocket launcher aimed at the creature. He fired, and the snarling beast didn't even have time to move before the rocket blew up the head in a violent flash, sending the legs tumbling through the air.

Letting the smoking rocket launcher drop for the moment, Gordon swung the Gravity Gun around and picked up the Magnusson. The Strider, just a little bit further down the canyon, hadn't even bothered to turn around, instead lumbering on towards the base. To be fair, it probably assumed that the Hunters would take care of him.

Assumptions about Gordon Freeman were dangerous things to make. Within seconds, the Magnusson device was attached, and a bullet promptly pierced it, demolishing the Strider. Grabbing the rocket launcher, he tossed it back into the passenger seat and clambered over the front of the vehicle as he had seen Alyx do many times before. He put his foot down, and the engine roared between the narrow canyon walls until he emerged beside the medic's warehouse.

Gordon leapt out, ran inside, grabbed a Magnusson, and emerged once more, loading the car and bouncing inside with only the slightest of nods to the medic.

"Go kick some ass, Freeman!" the medic cried, actually managing to pump Gordon up for the next confrontation.

He drove quickly around the small mesa that made up the canyon, emerging from the left-hand side and meeting the Strider and Hunters that had come from the cranes. Both Hunters leapt away as Gordon charged at them, leaving him to frantically swerve to avoid a large boulder. The car collided side on with the rock, jolting Gordon around roughly. The Hunters snarled and moved in. After grabbing the rocket launcher and the spare rocket, Gordon leapt from the vehicle. He rolled along the ground awkwardly, Gravity Gun and rocket launcher collectively making it very difficult to move swiftly.

Gordon loaded the rocket and fired, hitting the leftmost Hunter dead on and blowing it to pieces instantly. A slew of darts blasted toward him, and Gordon raised the rocket launcher instinctively to the protect himself. The darts pinged noisily against the metal of the launcher, lodging themselves there. Opening his eyes and bringing the launcher down, Gordon inspected the whining darts before blinking and realising what was about to happen. He grabbed the bottom of the launcher, holding it like a baseball bat as he charged at the Hunter.

Unaccustomed to enemies charging straight at it, the Hunter backed away warily, but not fast enough to avoid Gordon's swing of the rocket launcher. It connected just as the darts exploded, consuming the Hunter. The energy also spread back across the rocket launcher, and Gordon quickly dropped it and stumbled back, watching as both were burned away into nothing. He blew out a grateful breath.

A grinding klaxon blared out through the valley, and Gordon's head whipped up.

"_Alert! Alert! A Strider is getting close to the base!"_

The Strider was indeed making its way down the slope, lumbering down the final stretch that would take it to the silo. Groaning exhaustedly, Gordon whirled on his heel and started running, only to trip over the Gravity Gun, which was now on the floor. He cursed as he noted the broken strap; it must have been severed by one of the Hunter's darts. Gordon snatched it up and ran for the car, tossing the Gravity Gun in the passenger seat, his hand slipping on the gear-stick before he finally managed to get it right, hurling the car forward and just behind the Strider.

Stumbling out of the car with Gravity Gun in hand, Gordon noticed the third Strider, this one even closer to the base. It must have come from the water tower. Which meant…

The medic's supply warehouse was in ruins, and Gordon could make out his body, buried in planks of old wood. He clenched his jaw. Pulling the steaming Magnusson to him, Gordon aimed it at the current Strider and fired, following it up with a shot from the USP that blew the alien creature in five different directions.

There wasn't any time to grab another Magnusson; he'd have to think of something on the way down. Once more in the car and tumbling down the slope towards the base, Gordon still hadn't thought of anything by the time he reached the two Hunters guarding the Strider. The towering behemoth was approaching the gates, probably wanting the most accurate shot it could manage. A small red shack was quickly approaching Gordon on the right, and he only hoped there was a dispenser port inside.

The first Hunter was distracted by gunfire from the rebels on the roof and in the watchtower beside the base, and was easily disposed of by the car. The second, however, leapt aside and fired a spray of darts across the front of the car, the majority sinking into the engine.

"_Crap-" _Gordon breathed urgently, swerving the car around the incoming shack and toward the left leg of the Strider, which was now preparing to fire. Sound and light refracted towards the tip of the weapon hanging from its belly as Gordon punched the turbo and leapt from the car, the whine of the Hunter's darts ringing in his ears. He rolled along the ground and came to a halt in time to see the car explode magnificently against the back of the Strider's leg, interrupting the firing process and annihilating the lower half of its spear-like limb. It tumbled down with a load roar of protest, its head askew. Black smoke billowed up from the flaming wreck of the car, and Gordon felt a great well of sadness in his heart for the vehicle.

He clambered to his feet and ran for the shack behind the Strider. The Hunter hopped out from a tree on the right, blocking his path. Gordon backed up, reaching for the Gravity Gun-

Only then realising he had forgotten to grab it from the car before blowing it up against the Strider's leg. He looked back to the flaming wreck, then to the alien creature looming over him. Slowly, and with no other recourse, Gordon put a hand on the crowbar and another on the USP pistol, knowing both were useless right now.

A loud rocket rushed past him, slamming into the Hunter face first. The resulting explosion made Gordon stumble back, and he looked over his shoulder to see a rebel saluting him from atop the base, rocket launcher resting on her shoulder. With a wave, Gordon scrambled to his feet and ran for the shack again. There was a stunned young rebel inside next to the dispenser port, MP7 shaking in his hands.

"Magnusson, Magnusson!" Gordon cried, throwing his hands out.

The rebel just stared with wide eyes. Behind him, Gordon could see the Strider rising again, managing to take aim at the base even with half a leg missing.

"_COME ON!" _he screamed.

The desperate cry seemed to knock the rebel out of his funk. Letting the MP7 clatter to the floor, the rebel grabbed the device from the dispenser and tossed it through the air. Gordon had to leap up to catch it, and continued on a mad run for a fir tree beside the shack. It was only as he clambered up the bending, slippery branches that he realised he had just played football, if only a little bit. In fact, that was one hell of a catch.

Who's the spotty nerdy four-eyes _now_, Eric Collins in 10th grade?

Well, it was still him, but still… it was an awesome catch. Gordon managed to awkwardly reach the top of the tree, close enough to the roof of the shack that he would step over. The tiles slipped beneath his feet, and Gordon struggled to keep his balance with one arm extended and the Magnusson tucked under the other.

The Strider aimed its cannon.

Gordon sprinted down the sloped roof of the shack, leaping off from the ledge and landing on the shell of the monster. He slammed the Magnusson device down, the shriek it emitted so loud at this range it made Gordon wince.

The Strider charged its weapon, and Gordon brought out the USP, pressing it against the Magnusson.

He fired, and the Strider exploded, sending him hurtling back and into the fir tree, his glasses and gun tumbling away from him. It bent back from the force of the impact, suspending Gordon up long enough for a wall of grey liquid Strider innards to hit him like a shockwave. The tree then whipped back upright, propelling him forward and into the wooden wall of the shack. Gordon smashed straight through it, hitting the floorboards and smacking into the opposite wall.

Frozen, Gordon opened his mouth, if only slightly. "Oooowwwww…"

Silence reigned.

Then, suddenly, the valley erupted into cheers, whoops and hollers, ecstatic voices echoing out from all around him. The young rebel who had tossed him the Magnusson was crouched beside him, concerned.

"Are you okay?"

Gordon groaned. "Yeah, just… explosion… tree… pain…"

"I found these," he said earnestly, holding out a blurry black object that could only be his glasses.

He took them and slipped them on. "Thanks."

"Yeah, well… that was AWESOME!"

"Okay," he grunted, forcing himself painfully to his feet.

He checked the stats of the HEV suit. Fifteen percent. Not bad. Not great, but not bad. Then again, every single part of his body ached, which was more bad than great. Limping out into the open, Gordon peered through the fading smoke from the car and saw rebels jumping up and down with guns raised in the air, some even firing theirs in celebration. As Gordon walked over to the smouldering wreck of his car, Sam's celebratory voice boomed out all across the valley.

"_We did it! We held them off! Good work, everyone! Attention, attention, the Striders have been defeated. All personnel return to the base, repeat, all personnel return to the base immediately!"_

Gordon sighed. He couldn't even touch it to say goodbye. "Thanks," he said wearily, barely able to make out the car amid the smoke and flames.

Closing his eyes and groaning loudly, he remembered that the Gravity Gun had been-

"Dr Freeman!"

It was another rebel, unarmed and grinning inanely. Well, unarmed except for the scorched Gravity Gun he held tentatively. It must have been thrown free by the explosion. The rebel's hands were wedged beneath his shirt, using it as protection while he held the device up to Gordon reverently.

A ridiculously wide smile emerged on Gordon's face upon seeing the device, and he snatched it up happily. Though a little burnt, it still looked like it was in working order. The strap had been completely removed, but what the hell; he could carry it. He slapped the rebel on the arm happily, feeling like a hug but not wanting to burn the man with the steaming metal of the Gravity Gun.

"Thank you," he said, genuinely grateful. This thing had been his most faithful companion; it would have been devastating to lose it now. Well, most faithful besides the crowbar. And the HEV suit.

Okay, so it wasn't the most faithful, but it was definitely up there- ah. _There _was the morphine.

Smiling contentedly, Gordon walked past the charred wreck that was his car and through the front gates, rebels cheering from the roof of the base as Gordon moved inside.

Rebels lined the walls of the tunnel, high-fiving and hugging abound. On the left, Gordon spotted Sam, who was chatting to another rebel. He double-glanced at Gordon, and, suspecting a fuss was about to be made, Gordon tried to slip by.

"Hey!" Sam called out, grabbing everyone's attention as he ran over to Gordon. He held out his hands and waved them towards Gordon as he looked to the rest of the tunnel. "Gordon Freeman!"

A wave of cheers echoed down on him, and Gordon just stood there, unsure of what to do. Sam shook his hand vigorously, and Gordon felt his head wobble up and down from the strength of it. It took him awhile to sift through the crowd of congratulatory rebels, but eventually he stumbled out the other side, waving with an awkward smile. He tried not to look too obvious as he hurried out of the tunnel and back into the main section he had entered with Alyx just a few hours ago.

Sighing, Gordon let his head drop, and rubbed the back of his stiff neck as he walked to the entrance to the silo. Another figure emerged from the doorway, and Gordon was about to wave another happy rebel away when he recognised her.

Alyx looked at him with a mixture of awe and… no, it was pretty much just awe. "Wow, Gordon, you were… " she stopped, shaking her head. "…you were amazing out there."

Gordon shrugged and adjusted his glasses. "It did _feel _amazing…"

She laughed, and Gordon felt better.

"Come on," she said, rolling her eyes as she grabbed him by the elbow and pulled him through into the corridor beyond.

A grin slowly melted onto his features. He didn't know where they were going, or what was going to happen next, but for the first time, Gordon started to think that maybe, just _maybe_, things would be all right.

Maybe then he could put his lab coat on again.

* * *

(A/N: Hey, thanks for your patience, everyone. As you can imagine, this took a while to write. It's the longest chapter, page-wise, that I've written, ever, so that's something. Well, only one more to go, then I'm out of your hair (until _Episode Three_, I suppose)!

As always, please review! Negative, positive, they're all welcome.

_Next Chapter: T-Minus One)_


	12. T Minus One

Disclaimer: I don't own _Half-Life._

_**Aftermath**_

_**Chapter Twelve: T-Minus One**_

Following Alyx down the corridor, Gordon looked down at the Gravity Gun he was now being forced to carry. Without the aid of a strap to keep it over his shoulders, it really was quite heavy. He wondered how he had been so athletic and aerodynamic with it flailing about behind him.

He noticed that Alyx had stopped, and looked up. He could hear Dr Kleiner and Magnusson going through their various checks for the launch, their voices crackling over the radio system looped through the base.

"_Tested and operational. Pre-flight alignment complete," _Kleiner informed with a steady, efficient tone. It reminded Gordon of all the _successful _experiments they had run in the test chamber back at Black Mesa.

Alyx was tapping away on the keypad beside the metal hatch ahead of them.

"What's happening with the rocket?" Gordon asked, shifting his grip on the Gravity Gun in an attempt to get more comfortable.

"The launch is in its final stages," she said, pressing the last control and opening the door. She continued as he walked through, leading him into the room Magnusson had briefed him in earlier. "The portal's close to opening, but Dr Magnusson's sure we'll be in time to stop it."

"_Tracking beacon," _Magnusson mused._ "Well, there's another bit of cruft we can ignore. Support equipment powered down."_

Gordon followed her to the left and through a doorway he hadn't noticed when he had been here before. It took them into a corridor stretching off to the left and right, with a window on the wall opposite looking into a busy control centre. Gordon could see an elevator waiting for them at the end of the corridor on the right.

Inside the office, the only light came from a slew of monitors suspended from the walls, several civilians busy working at several stations along the wall. Magnusson was off to the right, stooped over readings on a console. He double-glanced at Gordon as he attempted to make his way past.

"Hold on a moment, Kleiner," he said definitively, and made his way toward him.

Gordon stopped on the spot, not sure what to expect.

"Ah, Freeman," he said with a forced civility, hands behind his back. "Well… I see the Magnusson device performed flawlessly." A look of great discomfort came over him, his dark gaze averting from Gordon, then to Alyx in embarrassment, before finally locking onto the ground beside him. "I feel compelled to… _thank you_… personally… for saving my rocket." Scratching the back of his hand, his mouth moving about as though tasting the next few words, Magnusson brought his gaze up to meet Gordon's. "So, um… thank you."

His head pulled back out of subconscious fear, Gordon exchanged a wide-eyed glance with Alyx, who was similarly amazed.

"My… pleasure…?"

"Ahem, well, that's enough chit-chat," Magnusson announced, mercifully unwilling to drag the moment out any longer than necessary. He promptly straightened his back, chin held high and declarative finger held in the air. "I've got a rocket to launch."

With that, he turned on his heel and returned to the control room, slamming the door behind him. Alyx and Gordon were left in relative silence, only Kleiner and Magnusson's voices echoing through.

"_Satellite payload powered and ready."_

"_Check-check-check."_

"Wow," Alyx said quietly. "For a minute there I thought you were going to get a hug."

He cocked an eyebrow at her. "Can you imagine?"

They both shuddered.

Blinking herself out of it before him, Alyx pointed over her shoulder at the elevator. "Let's go to the control room. We can get a great view of the launch from there."

The weight of the Gravity Gun still bothering his shoulder, Gordon followed along without complaint anyway. No need to trouble Alyx with his frankly embarrassing weakness. Once inside, Gordon rested against the back of the elevator and propped the Gravity Gun by his ankle. He let out a relaxed breath, grateful to be away from… well, everyone. Except for Alyx, of course. He quite enjoyed having her around.

"Well, here we are again," she sighed, smiling as she pressed her palm to the button beside the elevator doors. The grated doors slid shut, and the elevator started moving up. After watching the walls roll past for a moment, Alyx turned to him. "While you were out having fun, I found an old helicopter I was able to get working. I've got it all packed up and ready to go."

Gordon managed an exhausted wince. "For the Borealis?"

Smirking sympathetically, Alyx nodded. "Never a dull moment, huh?"

"If I had time to sleep, I'd dream of dull moments," he sighed.

Alyx laughed. "We'll run shifts flying the helicopter; you can get some sleep then."

"Oh, okay," he said blankly, half-listening to Kleiner and Magnusson.

"_What's this one? 'Flight termination system… check range with backup safety sites…?"_

"_That must be an ancient entry. There are no backup sites. If we fail, the best we can hope for is that the rocket falls on the enemy. Now… inertial navigation systems…"_

Something clicked in his brain, and he frowned. "Wait, I'm going to be flyinga helicopter?"

She gave him a sarcastic smile as the elevator arrived with a clang, jostling them a little. The door scraped open, revealing launch control. A tall, impressive window displayed the two silos in front of them, bathed in the light of the setting sun, contrasted with the darkened clouds on the horizon. Beneath the window, control panels and consoles ran along the wall of the lower floor. A wide console was on the upper floor, a few steps on either side of it leading down to the lower level.

Eli and Kleiner were the only two inside, the former busying himself beneath the window, while the latter ran through the checks with Magnusson, whose face loomed over them from a large monitor in the top right corner of the room.

"Wait a moment," Kleiner mused, "I'm seeing a payload anomaly of approximately eight and a half pounds."

"_Well, that's within tolerance, certainly not worth scuttling the-"_

"We're back!" Alyx interrupted cheerily, and Gordon couldn't tell if she knew how irritated Magnusson was, judging by the silent huff he was having on the monitor.

A smile on his lips that put Gordon at ease, Eli turned to face him. "Ah, Gordon."

"At last," Kleiner breathed gratefully, visibly relieved.

"Hell of a job you did out there, son," Eli nodded, hands on his hips.

He shrugged, adjusting his glasses. "Well, I, uh-"

Magnusson cleared his throat above them, chest puffed out. _"Ah, let's not forget that with the Magnusson device, those Striders practically destroy themselves."_

Everyone around Gordon seemed to share a smile at that comment, and Dr Kleiner adjusted his glasses with a smirk.

"Yes, well, I think perhaps Gordon had something to do with their success."

His face was going red. He could tell by the way his ears were burning.

"Are you blushing, Gordon?" Alyx asked amusedly, intently studying his face and only making the whole thing worse.

An overdramatic groan from the monitor drew their attention (thankfully) back to Magnusson.

"_I suggest we adjourn this meeting of the mutual admiration society until after we have launched our rocket!" _he cried, throwing his hands into the air vehemently. After taking a breath, he started tapping away at something off-screen._ "I believe we're ready to start the auto-sequence."_

"I believe Gordon should have the honour," Eli said, and Gordon's warm blush quickly gave way to a chilled horror.

Before Gordon could even utter an objection, Kleiner was happily nodding away. "You'll hear no objection from me."

He walked to the back of console on the upper level, pulling himself up and pressing a button there. With a mechanical whirr, a raised plastic square, yellow and faded, rose out of the control panel, finally flipping open to reveal a big, glowing red button. Reluctance stirred within Gordon. Big buttons never ended well for him; they always ended up sparking and malfunctioning and occasionally blowing up.

"It's all yours, Gordon," Alyx said, gesturing to the panel.

Casting an unsure look at the others, Gordon slowly made his way over. Eli's encouragement. Kleiner's anticipation. Magnusson's impatience. And Alyx… she just seemed happy to be here.

It was Alyx that Gordon spared a smile for before pressing his palm down on the button. A digital timer started in front of him, counting down from thirty. The doors on the silo closest to them parted with a loud, metal groan, and a flock of crows flew away, cawing in protest. A little plastic hula girl on the control panel shook her torso around with the vibrations.

"_Silo doors open," _Magnusson said slowly._ "Stations, everyone. Power to main thrusters. Steady on…"_

The clock began to close in on ten, and Kleiner's voice was remarkably calm as he counted down. "T-Minus, ten, nine-"

"_We're launching!" _Magnusson said grandly.

"-eight, seven, six-"

An anxious tingle began to grow in Gordon's belly. He half-expected a previously unnoticed Strider to stomp into view and destroy everything. Part of his brain started planning how he would get through the window and out into the open to fight it when he felt something on his hand. Looking down in alarm, he saw that Alyx had wrapped her hand around his, squeezing tightly with her eyes on the window.

"_Steady, steady-"_

"-five, four-"

Something about the gesture gave Gordon strength, and maybe a little faith. Something to believe in. Finally.

"_We have… we have-" _

"-three, two, one."

With a speed that rendered it a grey blur, the rocket blasted up into the sky, the engines producing a flash of light that made Gordon squint before trailing off above them.

"_Lift off!"_ Magnusson cried, arms dancing in the air._ "We have lift off!"_

Looking up, Gordon could see that the window stretched onto the ceiling, allowing him a view of the trail of black smoke that followed the quickly disappearing rocket into the sky. Magnusson, meanwhile, was laughing like an idiot.

"Oh…" Alyx gasped, "_wow…"_

"Yeah!" Eli yelled, pumping a fist in the air.

Kleiner was similarly enthused, grinning inanely. "We did it!"

"We sure did!"

Muttering to himself, Magnusson moved his shoulders about to loosen himself up. _"Oh, I must get control of myself. Deep breaths, deep breaths…"_

Everybody was laughing, breathless at the very notion that maybe, just maybe, the human race was going to win one. Even Gordon couldn't remove the ridiculous grin from his face. Though that may have had to with the hand currently clamped around his, he couldn't tell.

Hands on hips and shaking his head at the marvel flying above their heads, Eli turned to face them, and his eyes darted down to their interlocked fingers. Self-conscious, they both jerked their hands away, and Gordon tried his best not to look sheepish as he scratched away at a small stain on the control panel.

"Fantastic," Eli uttered, still sounding amazed and in awe. Glancing up, Gordon saw the biggest smile he had ever seen from Eli as he looked at him and Alyx. "Heh."

Letting out a breathless sigh, Magnusson waved his hands down. _"Now… now, it is still too early to celebrate. We need to reach altitude and transmit the signal."_

"Too right," Kleiner added, an educational finger in the air. "The clock is ticking."

"_We couldn't have cut it any closer if that was our intention," _Magnusson grumbled, his previous demeanour back with a little more force than necessary, as though there had been a build-up of grumpiness while he had been laughing and smiling.

Glancing from Magnusson to Eli, Alyx walked to her father with worried hands clutched in front of her. "It… _is _going to work, right?"

The smile melted from Eli's face, and he shrugged. "It has to."

"That's not comforting," Gordon said quietly.

Dr Kleiner, meanwhile, was already at work again, tapping away on an old computer. "Once the rocket is in range of the portal, we'll be able to switch on the Xenium resonator."

"Well, let's get outside," Eli said, his metal crutch of a leg clonking against the floor as he crossed to a door on the right side of the room. "I'd like a better view of the fireworks."

Alyx nodded to Gordon for them to follow, and they joined the elder Vance at the door as he tapped in the code. The metal door slid open without a noise, revealing a little airlock area between them and the outdoors.

"There should be quite a show," Kleiner agreed, his enthusiasm giving way to a slightly sad smile. "Regrettably, I can't come out with you. Magnusson and I will need to keep a close eye on the rocket's trajectory."

"Aren't you going to see us off?" Alyx asked, disappointed.

There didn't seem to be any doubt in Kleiner's mind, and he adjusted his glasses with a widening smile. "Just as soon as this is wrapped up. I wouldn't dream of letting you go without a proper goodbye."

"Okay," she replied, satisfied. "I'll hold you to that. You too, Dr Magnusson," she called, leaning over to get a better look at the large monitor.

He seemed absorbed in thought, tapping his finger against his chin. After blinking himself out of it, he offered a quiet, _"Indeed."_

Eli and Alyx went through the passageway first, and Gordon followed after a nod to Kleiner and Magnusson. He watched curiously as Eli touched Alyx lightly on the arm.

"We'll catch up with you in a moment, sweetheart," he said, giving her quick peck on the cheek.

Though she gave a confused look to both Eli and Gordon, she said nothing, instead moving outside and suddenly brightening when she spotted something.

"Dog, there you are!"

An affirmative, mechanical hoot followed, and Eli laughed and shook his head before turning to him. His smile faded a little, and a grave darkness filled his eyes.

"Gordon, hold up a second."

Gordon checked over his shoulder, and saw that the door back to launch control had closed behind him. He nodded that it was safe to talk, though more for his own piece of mind. Finally. They could talk about Him, about everything Gordon had been put through, the reasoning behind it all.

"The more I think about that warning from our friend, the more I'm convinced it has to do with Borealis," Eli said, giving Gordon a warning look. "Don't be deceived. That ship should _never_ be used. You've got to destroy it." He glanced over his shoulder, and sighed. "Whatever the cost."

Frowning, Gordon opened his mouth to speak, only to be interrupted by Alyx's voice.

"Where are you two? You're gonna miss it!"

"Be right there, Alyx," Eli called over his shoulder, forcing a cheerful tone.

"Eli," Gordon managed, hesitant but desperate. "I can't just… _go_, we need to… _I _need to know about him, about Alyx, and…" the words died in his throat, his resolve weakening with every word.

Eyes closed, Eli let out a breath through his nose, trying to remain calm. "I know, Gordon, I know. But there are more important things happening right now than just you and me." He looked up at him, searching his eyes. "And I think you know that."

"I…" Moisture stung his eyes, and he blinked it away, searching the walls of answers. All the anger he had felt earlier, the outrage at being lied to, at being used… all of it was melting away, replaced by something that had pushed him on through all of Black Mesa, through Xen, the Nihilanth, City 17, the Citadel, Breen, all the Striders, soldiers, zombies and all the other creatures from hell he had been forced to face up against.

Responsibility. He had to do it, because no-one else could. It had been true all those years ago when Eli had asked him to go to the surface for help, and it was true now. Once more being asked by this kind, good man to do what no-one else could. No-one else felt the same sense of responsibility and burden about Black Mesa, and what happened there. No-one else knew Him, could understand the terrible forces that were manipulating everything that was happening here and now.

No-one else had been through that hell and _known_ that they had caused it.

His breath shaky, but his will determined, Gordon nodded silently.

Eli put his hands on Gordon's shoulders, speaking gently. "Gordon, thanks for everything you've done. For Alyx, for all of us. I couldn't be prouder if you were my own son."

Gordon really wasn't used to this level of sentiment, and cleared his throat uncomfortably.

"Now when you get back, we've got a lot to talk about."

That elicited a laugh from him, and he finally managed to look Eli in the eye with a wry smile. "We really do."

"Come on!" Alyx called.

With an amused grunt, Eli nodded to the open doorway. He clapped an arm on Gordon's shoulder before walking out with him into the open. It was a stone platform overlooking a road that drifted off into the forest ahead of them. There, on the horizon, was the Citadel portal, the blue ribbon of energy thicker and brighter than ever. A large warehouse was on their left, the entrance to which was a stone corridor separate from the building, the door of which was closed, for the moment.

Alyx was by the fence that ran along the stone platform, and glanced back at them anxiously.

Dr Kleiner's voice blared out from loudspeakers planted on the corner of the building they had just emerged from. _"Eli! Gordon! Alyx! Look at the portal!"_

Wearily, Eli rubbed his eyes. "Dear God, this _has _to work…" he whispered desperately.

He moved forward to join his daughter, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and bringing her in tight to him as they watched. Dog had planted himself a few feet behind, legs splayed about like gorilla. Feeling out of place beside Alyx and Eli, Gordon decided to watch from Dog's side. The robot gave him a happy nod before returning its gaze to the portal.

"_We've activated the resonator!" _Kleiner announced.

Dog leapt to his feet excitedly, and Gordon's chest tightened.

"_This is it!"_

Nothing seemed to happen at first. But then Gordon noticed the ribbon of energy weaken and thin, gradually whittling away to the barest of white squiggles against the darkened clouds.

"Woah… yes!" Alyx gasped.

Finally, the white energy coalesced into a bolt that shot up into the glowing blue core in the clouds, dispersing it with a flash that blurred Gordon's vision for a moment. The barest of thunderous rumbles echoed through the air. The only indicator the portal was ever there was an ethereal hole in the clouds.

"YES!" Alyx cried, practically leaping onto her father in a celebratory embrace. Gordon found himself abruptly yanked up into Dog's arms, who shook him happily before dunking him back to the ground and rushing to Alyx to give her the same treatment.

"_The portal has been neutralised!" _Kleiner called, Magnusson's borderline insane laughter continuing throughout.

Finally released by Dog, Alyx looked back at the portal, then to Eli and Gordon. "We did it!"

"We sure as hell did!" Eli grinned, walking to Gordon and shaking his hand with great zeal. "And not a moment too soon."

Hands on hips, the elder Vance looked up at the speakers above the doorway, smiling ear to ear at Magnusson's deliriously happy voice. Alyx took that moment to grab Gordon in a hug, which, in a moment of delirious happiness, he returned.

"_My rocket! Oh, my rocket works! I told you it would all work! I knew it would work! I'm a genius!"_

Dr Kleiner cleared his throat, his voice suddenly all business again. _"Now, Magnusson-"_

His voice was cut off abruptly, presumably by Kleiner himself. Alyx and Gordon slowly moved away from each other, and he tried to keep his smile relatively small.

"I'll bet the Combine aren't too happy right now," Alyx smirked to her father.

"You got that right, sweetheart," he chuckled, turning away from the spectacle that had only a few seconds ago been in front of them. He smiled warmly. "But we've got plenty to celebrate." His eyes darted over to the closed door leading into the warehouse, and his happy demeanour faded somewhat. "I wish you didn't have to head off so soon. If only it weren't so critical…"

"It's okay, Dad," Alyx said quietly, moving over and running a hand up and down his arm. "We'll find Judith and bring her back."

With a metallic clang that made Gordon jump, Dog jumped around so he was facing the warehouse, like he had heard something. He promptly leapt up on top of the stone corridor and stomped off into the distance at speed.

"Dog? Hey, where are you going?" Alyx called, before sighing with a tired smile. "What a nut." She tilted her head up, cupping a hand over her mouth as they moved to the door. "Don't go too far!"

She led the way, opening the door into the corridor and then another off to the right, taking them into the warehouse. They were on a metal gantry, like an observation platform for whatever had once gone on in here. A helicopter sat in the middle of the warehouse, long and black with the propellers swept back like the ears of a sheepish dog. A small elevator led down to the floor below.

"Well, there she is," Alyx said. "Gassed up and ready to go."

Eli started walking for the elevator with Alyx, and Gordon followed along. "Remember to keep in constant contact. We have no idea what to expect."

Stopping her father with a gentle hand on his arm, Alyx gave him a smile that tried to be reassuring. "Don't worry, Dad. We'll be all right."

A weight seemed to push down on Eli's shoulders, and he gently reached to his daughter, cupping her face in his hands.

"I just… I just wish all of this didn't have to fall on you, Alyx. Your mother would be so proud."

Her eyes glistened, and she bowed her head, her voice barely a whisper. "Dad…"

Eli kissed her forehead tenderly. Gordon felt incredibly awkward at that moment, and suddenly found a smudge of dirt on the Gravity Gun very interesting.

"Come on, Gordon," Alyx said quietly, her voice ever so slightly uneven. "The chopper's waiting for us."

Gordon whipped his head back up, and he nodded sombrely, following them into the elevator. Eli pressed a button, and the elevator doors slammed shut behind Gordon. With a low metallic crank, the elevator slowly lowered itself to the ground floor.

"Are you sure you have everything you need?" Eli asked, looking to both of them.

"I think so," Alyx replied, visibly going through a mental checklist in her head.

"Are there guns?" Gordon said abruptly, the thought having been weighing on his mind since Alyx had mentioned the helicopter.

"Huh?"

"Guns. We, uh…" he glanced between them, and that awkwardness rose in him again. "…need guns."

Looking relieved to have something to laugh at, Alyx smiled at him. "Yes Gordon, there's guns." She returned her attention Eli as the elevator reached the main floor. "Dr Kleiner gave us the Borealis co-ordinates. We'll keep the hailing frequency open on the chopper radio in case Judith tries to reach us again."

"Good idea," Eli nodded thoughtfully, walking out with them into the open. "She could well make another attempt."

Sighing, Gordon looked over at the helicopter, wondering how long the journey would take. Travel sickness wasn't something he usually suffered from. But then again, he had never travelled in a helicopter. Weren't they bouncy and rough and-

A sudden, sharp headache interrupted his thoughts, the sheer magnitude of the pain making him drop the Gravity Gun. His vision became obscured by a blackened tunnel that seemed to bore into his eyes, and all colour vanished from his surroundings.

Oh, God. Here? Now? Wincing, Gordon looked up at Alyx and Eli, saw they were in a similar state.

"Oh no," Alyx cried. "Dad! Gordon! Help!"

With an abruptness that knocked the wind out of him, an invisible wall slammed into him, tossing them along the floor and into the wall. Gordon tried to get up, found he couldn't. The windows on the opposite side of the warehouse cracked and shattered, the roof and metal walls bending and shrieking out of shape. An Advisor slowly floated through the gap, heading for Eli.

Gordon was yanked up into the air along with Alyx, and could only watch as one of the Advisors made a beeline for Eli. Scrambling in midair, Alyx tried to reach for her father.

"Dad!"

Struggling against the weight of whatever was pressing down on him, Eli desperately clawed through the air for her hand. "Alyx!"

With a painful jolt, Gordon and Alyx were pressed against the wall, scraping upwards until they were overlooking the warehouse. They both struggled against their invisible bonds. Nothing worked. Ethereal green wisps of light coalesced around Eli, who was bowed over on the floor. Gordon could see his hand edging toward a pipe that had been thrown loose by the Advisors' telekinetic attack.

The Advisor hovered ominously over Eli, spindly metal arms that seemed to be a new addition stretching out for him.

"Get away!" Alyx cried desperately.

"Listen to me! Destroy that ship!" Eli growled up at them, latching a hand on the pipe and lurching to his feet. "Whatever it takes! Destroy it!"

"Don't-!"

Eli whirled on the spot, pounding the lead pipe across the Advisor's bulbous white head. It squealed in protest, and Eli brought the makeshift weapon up for another strike. The Advisor brought back a long metal arm.

"Dad, look out!"

The Advisor lashed out, throwing Eli around and face down onto the floor, the pipe skittering away. It held a metal hand down on him, keeping him locked to the floor as another Advisor hovered through the opening in the wall, rending metal effortlessly as it moved past.

"No! Dad!"

The Advisor holding Eli moved aside as the other came up behind it, wrapping both hands around Eli. The now unoccupied Advisor floated up to them, staring at them intently. But Gordon didn't care.

"No…" Gordon growled, fighting against what felt like a metal clamp across his body. It was like being in those coffins in the Citadel all over again. Only now he was watching something much worse. Where were the others? Surely the sentries should have noticed something going on by now?

The Advisor brought Eli up towards it, the back of his neck exposed. A terrible nausea came over Gordon as he recognised what was about to happen.

"Dad! God damn it, let go over him!" Alyx snarled and spat, her shoulders thrashing wildly. She spotted the fleshy tentacle slowly emerging from the Advisor, and her throat seemed to constrict as she spoke. "Oh my God!"

Though he couldn't see what was going on, Eli knew what was to follow. Steely eyes fixed on Gordon, pleading silently.

_Look after her._

Jaw clenched, Gordon nodded.

A sad acceptance rolling over his face, Eli let his gaze rest on Alyx, eyes welling. "Close your eyes, honey!"

Tears stained her cheeks as she stared right back at him. "I love you, dad!"

His voice breaking, Eli shook his head ever so slightly, waiting for the strike that was being prepared behind his back. "Don't look!"

"No!" Alyx was almost hysterical now, her struggle intensifying as she saw the tentacle lean back, ready to strike.

Gordon's fingers touched the crowbar by his side, but he couldn't do much else. There was nothing he could do. Everything he had done, all the impossible things he had accomplished… and he couldn't save the life of one kind, _good_ man.

The Advisor's tentacle lashed out, puncturing Eli's neck, a geyser of blood spurting out like a fountain. Eli's head dropped, eyes closed as his body twitched under the attack.

"Oh my God, _no_!" Alyx wailed in anguish, wide eyes helplessly locked on the horrific spectacle.

Tears stung Gordon's eyes, furious breath hissing wildly through clenched teeth as he pushed against the bonds pressing against him. His attention was so focused on Eli, the was caught off-guard by the other Advisor looming in front of him, and Gordon found himself and Alyx slowly floating towards it. It grasped both of them with eerily thin metal claws.

Alyx looked back at him desperately. "Gordon…"

He looked over at her in horror. They were all going to die. Gordon squinted at the daylight peering through a hole in the ceiling above the Advisor. A pointed silhouette abruptly appeared, and Gordon's heart jumped when he recognised it.

With a roar more ferocious than any Gordon had heard in his life, Dog leapt down through the hole in the ceiling, hitting the Advisor feet first and body slamming it down and out of Gordon's sight.

"Dog!" Alyx shouted, relieved and frightened at the same time.

The Advisor's invisible hold on them abruptly ended, throwing them at a downward angle into the hard ground, tumbling along roughly. From the floor, Gordon watched as the Advisor scrambled and squealed along the floor, bleeding and injured, desperately trying to escape Dog's rage.

It finally managed to achieve flight, swooping out of the warehouse and through the window. The other Advisor, still 'feeding' on Eli, watched it go with an air of panic before removing its tentacle from Eli's neck. Yet more blood spilled out, staining Eli's clothes and splashing against the shallow pool that had gathered beneath him. The creature tossed Eli away like so much trash, leaving him to roll and skid to a messy halt on the cold warehouse floor.

Dog charged into view, glaring after the two retreating monsters. He turned and shrank, his head ducking down in sorrow as Alyx ran into view, falling beside her father's body. Blood stained her hands and legs as she cradled his limp body, and Gordon only then realised that that was what it was; a body. It wasn't Eli anymore.

"Dad! Dad, please!" she gasped, desperately shaking him. "No… oh my God, no…"

Gordon couldn't bring himself to move, though every part of his will and mind were screaming at him to do so. He couldn't speak, couldn't even breathe. He just lay there, staring up at Alyx, her head buried in the nook of Eli's neck. Her shoulders bobbed as she wept, her voice thick with anguish and grief and pain.

"Dad… please…" she whispered, her voice barely audible. "…don't leave me…"

Unforeseen consequences. This is what He had meant. He had known, and gloated, choking a laugh when He had mentioned Eli to Alyx's comatose body. A quiet rage grew in Gordon, intensifying with every passing minute. But more than that, he felt fear. Fear of the unknown, of life without Eli. He had seemed untouchable, invincible.

And now Gordon was looking at his dead body, shaking in Alyx's weeping arms.

What was going to happen now?

* * *

(A/N: Well, that's all for now, folks! It's been a fun ride, especially considering I hadn't originally planned on writing the Episodes. Definitely glad I did, though, so many moments I enjoyed writing.

I'm also glad that you guys enjoyed reading - the reviews really do make all the difference. Never stop!

Of course, I'm talking as though this is the end. Didn't Valve say there were some surprises to be announced this year? Episode Three could be just around the corner for all I know.

So, thanks for all the reviews, everyone. It's been great!)


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